National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) is an advocacy organization that provides pro bono immigration legal services to low-income individuals in the Chicago area. NIJC advocates for liberal expansionist immigration policies and has claimed immigration law enforcement agencies uphold “hateful policies” and should be defunded. ¹

NIJC also advocates for current federal funding for natural disasters and border security to instead be used to provide social services and welfare programs to legal and illegal immigrants. ²

Background

Founded in 1995 as a project of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Rights, National Immigrant Justice Center is a Chicago-based immigration advocacy organization that provides pro bono legal services to low-income immigrants. NIJC states that it provides legal services to over 10,000 individuals each year. ^{3 4}

Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Rights is a left-of-center nonprofit organization that is a part of a larger Heartland Alliance coalition of sister organizations. The coalition advocates for left-of-center policies on social issues. ⁵

Advocacy

National Immigrant Justice Center’s website states that it advocates for eliminating laws that criminalize current forms of illegal immigration, advocating for an open border policy. It claims that such illegal immigration legislation is unjust and allegedly racist. ⁶

In a January 2023 blog post, NJIC condemned President Joe Biden for continuing to utilize Title 42, which rejects migrants from crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent migrants from introducing cases of COVID-19 in the United States. The policy was initially enacted under former President Donald Trump, whom NIJC also criticized for enacting the policy and for his overall willingness to enact border security measures. The blog post also criticized Congress for funding border security measures and advocates that the same funding, alongside natural disaster funding, instead be used to provide social services, including welfare programs to immigrants. ⁷

NIJC is a proponent of the New Way Forward Act. The bill would eliminate mandatory detention of immigrants and enforcement of immigration laws by local law enforcement, which NIJC claims are racist practices because ethnic minorities are at a higher chance of going through such processes. NIJC also supports that the bill would end automatic deportation for immigrants who have been convicted of a crime, eliminate laws criminalizing unauthorized immigration, and create a system for previously deported individuals to be able to reenter the United States. ⁸

In January 2023 NIJC cosigned a letter voicing opposition to the Border Safety and Security Act, which would require the Department of Homeland Security to suspend non-U.S. nationals without entry documents from entering the country if DHS is unable to “achieve operational control” of the border as outlined under the Immigration and Nationality Act. ^{9 10} The letter claims the bill is “operationally impossible” and would be harmful to asylum seekers. It also claims the bill would disproportionately impact ethnic minority immigrants because they allegedly are more likely to be victims of violence during immigration. ¹¹

Legal Services

National Immigration Justice Center offers pro-bono legal services to low-income immigrants seeking asylum, seeking to apply for residence, who are unaccompanied minors, and who have been detained by the Department of Homeland Security or Immigration and Customs Enforcement. NIJC only provides services to those based in the Chicago area if they are applying for residency or to select states surrounding Illinois if they are seeking representation while detained by federal law enforcement. NIJC does not have restrictions for asylum seekers or unaccompanied minors. ^{12 13 14 15}

Financials

According to Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Rights’ tax returns, National Immigrant Justice Center had $12 million in total expenses, including $874,000 in grants made, in 2020. ¹⁶

1. “Defund Hate.” National Immigrant Justice Center. Accessed February 6, 2023. https://immigrantjustice.org/issues/defundhate.
2. NIJC Policy Team. “Solutions for a Humane Border Policy.” National Immigrant Justice Center, January 17, 2023. https://immigrantjustice.org/staff/blog/solutions-humane-border-policy?utm_source=hero.
3. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Rights. 2020. Schedule O, Part III, Line 4b
4. “About NIJC.” National Immigrant Justice Center. Accessed February 6, 2023. https://immigrantjustice.org/about-nijc.
5. “About Us.” Heartland Alliance. Accessed February 6, 2023. https://www.heartlandalliance.org/about/.
6. “Decriminalize Immigration.” National Immigrant Justice Center. Accessed February 6, 2023. https://immigrantjustice.org/issues/decriminalize-immigration.
7. NIJC Policy Team. “Solutions for a Humane Border Policy.” National Immigrant Justice Center, January 17, 2023. https://immigrantjustice.org/staff/blog/solutions-humane-border-policy?utm_source=hero.
8. “New Way Forward Act.” National Immigrant Justice Center. Accessed February 6, 2023. https://immigrantjustice.org/issues/new-way-forward-act
9. New Way Forward Act. Bill (2022).
10. “250+ Organizations Tell U.S. House to Avoid a ‘Human Rights Catastrophe’ and Reject Hateful Anti-Immigrant Agenda.” National Immigrant Justice Center, January 12, 2023. https://immigrantjustice.org/press-releases/250-organizations-tell-us-house-avoid-human-rights-catastrophe-and-reject-hateful.
11. “250+ Organizations Tell U.S. House to Avoid a ‘Human Rights Catastrophe’ and Reject Hateful Anti-Immigrant Agenda.” National Immigrant Justice Center, January 12, 2023. https://immigrantjustice.org/press-releases/250-organizations-tell-us-house-avoid-human-rights-catastrophe-and-reject-hateful
12. “Legal Services for Unaccompanied Immigrant Children.” National Immigrant Justice Center. Accessed February 6, 2023. https://immigrantjustice.org/services/unaccompanied-immigrant-children.
13. “Legal Services for Applicants for Citizenship, Permanent Residence, and Visas.” National Immigrant Justice Center. Accessed February 6, 2023. https://immigrantjustice.org/services/legal-services-applicants-citizenship-permanent-residence-and-visas.
14. “Legal Services for Asylum Seekers.” National Immigrant Justice Center. Accessed February 6, 2023. https://immigrantjustice.org/services/legal-services-asylum-seekers.
15. “Legal Services for Detained Immigrants.” National Immigrant Justice Center. Accessed February 6, 2023. https://immigrantjustice.org/services/detained-immigrants.
16. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Rights. 2020. Part III, Line 4b. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/361877640/202131349349306108/full