New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAIJ)

The executive committee of the NJAIJ includes the ACLU New Jersey, the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the New Jersey Working Families Party, the American Friends Service Committee, and Faith in New Jersey. ²

Background

The New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice affirms a “human right to migrate, regardless of citizenship or political status.” Moreover, the group states that “immigrant justice is bound to the fight for racial justice and must be led primarily by Black, Brown, Native People, and other marginalized communities.” ³

Previously, NJAIJ was a fiscally sponsored project of NEO Philanthropy. NJAIJ is a coalition of over 50 groups, led by an executive committee of member organizations. ^{4 5 2}

Executive Committee

The executive committee of the NJAIJ includes 1199SEIU, 32BJ SEIU, ACLU New Jersey, the American Friends Service Committee, the Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Summit, Faith in New Jersey, the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Latino Action Network, Make the Road New Jersey, New Jersey Communities United, New Labor, the New Jersey Policy Committee, the New Jersey Working Families Party, and Wind Of The Spirit Immigration Resource Center New Jersey. ²

Activities

The New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice participates in advocacy and movement building projects. ³

As of 2025, NJAIJ’s policy advocacy priorities included “same day voter registration, creat[ing] a reparations taskforce, ending racial discrimination in auto insurance, expand[ing] jury service to people with previous convictions, banning use of chokeholds, resentenc[ing] inmates convicted as juveniles, exempt[ing] harm reduction supplies, [the] Reproductive Equity Act, replac[ing] ‘illegal alien’ with ‘noncitizen,’ reduc[ing] time period for prior offenses in sentencing, and designat[ing] June as ‘Immigrant Heritage Month.’” ¹

In June 2025, NJAIJ participated in organizing or supporting protests branded under the “#NoKings” banner, a national day of demonstrations positioned as a defense of democratic norms against President Donald Trump. These events were part of a larger mobilization involving over 70 Democratic Party affiliates and allied organizations across at least 19 U.S. states and multiple international locations, according to publicly available event listings on Mobilize.us, a Democratic Party-aligned organizing platform. ^{6 7}

Funding

Donations to NJAIJ are processed by Network for Good.  ⁸

In 2018, the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice was a fiscally sponsored project of NEO Philanthropy. ^{4 5} That year, the National Immigration Law Center gave $24,000 to NEO Philanthropy in support of NJAIJ. ⁴

People

Amy Torres has been the executive director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice since 2021. Previously, Torres was an adjunct lecturer at Rutgers University, a fellow at the New Leaders Council, director of policy and advocacy at the Chinese-American Planning Council, the president of the board of Asian Pacific American Advocates, and a curriculum specialist at First Leap China. ⁹

Dante Apaestegui is the community response coordinator at NJAIJ. Previously, Apaestegui worked as a facilitator for the Aspen Young Leaders Fellowship, a paralegal at the Legal Action Center, and a fellow at the Aspen Institute. ¹⁰

Hayat Abdelal is a program coordinator at NJAIJ. Abdelal was formerly a high school teacher at iLearn Schools and a Teach for America corps member. ¹¹

The co-chairs of NJAIJ are Rania Mustafa, who works at the Palestinian American Community Center; Charlene Walker, who works at Faith in New Jersey; and Jessica Culley, who works at the CATA Farmworkers Support Committee. ²