Capacity Building Initiative
Launched in 2022, ImmDef’s Capacity Building Initiative strengthens both our internal infrastructure and the broader national movement for universal representation in immigration court. Through this program, we enhance our ability to provide high-quality legal defense in removal proceedings while offering technical assistance, legal training, and capacity building support to partner organizations across Southern California that are developing their own universal representation models.
As one of the largest nonprofit immigration law organizations implementing a universal representation model since 2015, ImmDef is a recognized leader in immigration removal defense representation. Our team is uniquely positioned to mobilize experienced staff, share best practices in immigration law, and support regional partners working to expand access to government-funded immigration legal representation.
Building Capacity for Universal Representation
ImmDef’s Capacity Building Initiative brings together a suite of programs designed to expand our ability to deliver high-quality immigration legal representation, deportation defense services, and free legal help for immigrants under our universal representation model. These efforts include RepresentLA, ImmDef’s pioneering Spanish Language for Lawyers Program, the Jurisdictional Capacity Building Program, robust legal internships and fellowships in immigration law, ongoing professional development for immigration attorneys, comprehensive immigration legal training resources, and interpretation and language access services.
Collectively, these programs increase access to free immigration legal services, legal aid for undocumented immigrants, and strengthen the network of nonprofit immigration attorneys in Southern California. By investing in legal training, bilingual legal services, language access in immigration court, and organizational capacity building, ImmDef helps build a more resilient and effective universal representation movement and immigrant rights legal network.
Represent LA
Launched in 2022–2023, RepresentLA is funded through a public-private partnership between Los Angeles County, the City of Los Angeles, and philanthropy. Through the program, ImmDef
provides immigration court representation
and deportation defense for non-detained and detained Angeleno community members.
Through this effort, we help expand a merits-blind universal representation model to provide free legal representation for immigrants in Los Angeles, immigration lawyer services for low-income residents, and deportation defense regardless of ability to pay. This ensures that individuals facing removal proceedings have access to trusted immigration attorneys, legal aid services, and due process in immigration court.
Spanish Language for Lawyers Program
ImmDef’s trailblazing Spanish Language for Lawyers Program delivers critical training for the growing demand for Spanish‑speaking immigration lawyers, bilingual immigration attorneys, and culturally competent legal services for immigrant communities. The program attracts licensed attorneys with limited Spanish proficiency and helps them build strong legal Spanish skills, specialized immigration law vocabulary, and effective client‑communication abilities through professional classes and individualized tutoring.
Beyond language instruction, the program prepares practitioners to deliver culturally responsive legal representation, trauma‑informed legal services, and effective advocacy in immigration court. Over a 10‑week period, attorneys participate in intensive classes while gaining hands‑on immigration removal defense training, CLE‑accredited immigration coursework, and practical experience representing
immigrant clients.
As a result of this program, more than 300 children in Southern California—who otherwise would have gone unrepresented—have received support from a Spanish‑speaking immigration attorney, expanding equitable legal representation and improving access to justice for immigrant youth.
Jurisdictional Capacity Building (JCBO)
In 2023, ImmDef became the Southern Region Jurisdictional Capacity Building Organization (JCBO) for the California Department of Social Services Removal Defense Network. As the regional JCBO, ImmDef provides specialized technical assistance for immigration legal service providers, capacity‑building support for nonprofit legal organizations, and statewide immigration defense program development.
With a focus on Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County, and the Inland Empire, we strengthen California’s immigration legal defense capacity by offering comprehensive case‑management support, immigration case‑strategy guidance, legal consultations, 1:1 technical‑assistance meetings, monthly office hours, and quarterly convenings for legal practitioners.
This statewide initiative expands California’s immigration legal defense network, enhances nonprofit collaboration, and improves regional access to deportation‑defense services, ensuring immigrant communities receive stronger, more coordinated legal support.
Internships/Fellowships
ImmDef strengthens the immigration legal ecosystem by welcoming seasonal interns and fellows who gain hands-on experience in immigration deportation defense law, across our four office locations. We partner with local and national law schools through career fairs, externships, substantive panels, and summer clerkships.
Through our fellowship program, we support IJC fellows, EJW fellows, and other post-graduate placements, as well as school-specific placements like Georgetown Fellows. This effort helps create the next generation of immigration attorneys, public interest lawyers, and immigrant rights advocates.
These programs contribute to building a pipeline of skilled nonprofit immigration lawyers committed to social justice and legal advocacy.
Internal Training
Our Capacity Building team empowers ImmDef staff through comprehensive professional development that enhances legal expertise, practical skills, and cultural competency. Team members gain access to a wide range of training resources, including MCLE‑accredited internal and external courses; virtual and on‑site training centers featuring updated practice advisories, templates, and manuals; and a specialized law library with IRAC‑formatted unpublished BIA decisions. Staff also benefit from curated professional memberships and learning opportunities—all designed to elevate the quality of legal services for immigrants and strengthen the impact of our nonprofit immigration law center.