SANS PEUR
DÉFENSE
JUSTICE

Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) est le plus grand cabinet d'avocats à but non lucratif de Californie spécialisé dans la défense contre l'expulsion, offrant une aide juridique gratuite aux membres de la communauté touchés par le système d'immigration.

Les services juridiques d'ImmDef sont toujours gratuits. Protégez-vous des arnaques. Cliquez ci-dessous pour en savoir plus.

Les services d’ImmDef sont toujours gratuits pour notre communauté. Évitez les fraudes et cliquez ici pour obtenir plus de détails.

Mission

Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) est un cabinet d'avocats de nouvelle génération spécialisé dans la justice sociale. défend nos communautés immigrées contre les injustices du système d'immigration.

Notre impact

Résultats de 2024

People served in Southern California through free legal representation, legal education, and legal consultations

36 245

Les demandeurs d'asile ont été accueillis et ont bénéficié d'une assistance juridique d'urgence à la frontière.

120

Les personnes directement représentées dans les procédures d'expulsion

7 035

Emploi

Autorisation

Document

Demandes déposées

1 998

1 341

Visas SIJS déposés pour protéger les enfants abandonnés, maltraités ou négligés.

814

Demandes d'asile déposées au nom de personnes en quête de sécurité.

Les membres de la communauté ont obtenu le statut de résident permanent légal.

324

Nos services

Free Legal Representation

Découvrez comment ImmDef élargit l'accès à des conseils et à une formation juridique à chaque étape du système d'immigration.

APPRENDRE ENCORE PLUS

RECOMMANDER UN CLIENT

Formation et consultations juridiques gratuites

Le modèle de représentation universelle d'ImmDef garantit l'accès à des services juridiques gratuits et de haute qualité aux communautés mal desservies du sud de la Californie.

APPRENDRE ENCORE PLUS

Droits de l'enfant

Nous offrons une représentation juridique complète aux enfants confrontés à des procédures d'immigration, intégrant des services sociaux essentiels répondant à leurs besoins fondamentaux. Notre approche permet aux jeunes clients de participer activement à leur défense, garantissant ainsi leur protection juridique et leur bien-être personnel tout au long du processus.

APPRENDRE ENCORE PLUS

Litiges et plaidoyer d'intérêt public

Découvrez comment ImmDef impulse un changement systémique à l'échelle nationale grâce à des litiges historiques et à de puissantes initiatives de plaidoyer.

APPRENDRE ENCORE PLUS

Dernières nouvelles

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Notre newsletter

❤️Music, love, and community.

Community showed what love in action truly looks like as local artists including @quetzalmusic, @ylabamba, @trioloscaramelos, and @mijadoris performed, neighbors showed up, and together we filled the room with music, joy, and hope. @sidthecatauditorium hosted a benefit concert to support @cluejustice Detained Immigrant Bond Fund, which helps families separated by ICE reunite and rebuild.

When art becomes a bridge and compassion becomes a movement, incredible things happen. Thank you to everyone who sang, danced, cried, organized, and donated.

Together, we’re creating the kind of world we all deserve, one free from detention and where every family has a chance to be whole again. 💛🎶

If you would like to support the Detained Immigrant Bond Fund, click here to donate. ➡️ https://www.cluejustice.org/detained-immigrant-bond-fund/

#ImmDef #ImmigrantFamilies #EndFamilySeparation #ImmigrantBondFund

Our movement for immigrant justice grows stronger every day. 💪

Even when challenge we rise. With compassion, and unwavering commitment, our team continues to stand up for immigrant communities. Our defense and advocacy for our clients goes far beyond the courtroom. At ImmDef, we are building a future rooted in fairness and hope.

Here is what we have been up to.

1️⃣- ImmDef staff attended a screening of Valentina, a film about the bureaucratic mishaps that derail a young woman’s simple to‑do list at the El Paso–Juárez border. Produced by @jessicaalba

2️⃣- ImmDef staff attended the @glaad Latin Honors, which recognized Andry Hernandez Romero for his strength, bravery, and courage after he was unjustly sent to CECOT under the Alien Enemies Act policy in 2025.

3️⃣- ImmDef partner with @thisisabouthumanity to deliver groceries, household necessities, hygiene products, toys, and flowers to families most of whom are women-led households, and families with detained mothers.

4️⃣- Our legal team filed 24 applications for Application to Register Permanent Residence to our most vulnerable clients, as well as connecting with clients and their families to provide KYR information and access to social services.

5️⃣- Our San Diego team joined House Democratic Leader @electhakeemjeffries, @reploucorrea,
@repderektran along with local elected officials for a discussion about the Trump Administration’s broken promises to care for those who have served our country.

(Continued below!) ⬇️

“It makes a mockery of due process.”

The Trump administration is trying to replace lawyers for unaccompanied children with video presentations and limit them to one single consultation.

At Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s shadow hearing, ImmDef’s Mickey Donovan-Kaloust called it what it is: a system designed to fast-track children’s deportations.

Help protect kids. For more information, visit treatkidslikekids.org.

“ICE is not a child welfare agency. ICE is a detention and removal agency.”

At today's shadow hearing hosted by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@repjayapal), ImmDef’s Director of Legal Services Mickey Donovan-Kaloust testified about the reality facing unaccompanied children today.
Children are being held in government custody for months at a time while their families comply with everything asked of them to bring them home. One of ImmDef’s youngest clients — just three years old — has spent more than 250 days in custody, literally growing up in detention.

Meanwhile, families who come forward to reunite with their children risk their own detention or deportation.
If that’s not family separation, what is?

We are excited to share that ImmDef will be the featured organization for @springsteen & the E Street Band show at the Kia Forum on Tuesday April 7th . 🎸🎼🎷🎻🎺

ImmDef is SoCal’s largest nonprofit deportation defense law firm, providing free legal representation to immigrants including children, veterans, and families.

If you’re at the show, come find us, say hi and learn how you can support your immigrant neighbors.

Can’t make it? You can still support us, click here to learn how: ➡️ www.immdef.org/support
#ImmDef #ImmigrantFamilies #ImmigrantDefenders #ImmigrantRights #StandWithImmigrants

We don’t have to trade airport safety for green lighting lawless agencies. Today is day 40 of the D.H.S. shutdown and we need YOU to stand up for immigrant rights! Our government can fund FEMA, the Coast Guard, and the TSA without giving a blank check to D.H.S. that has no guardrails for accountability or policy changes. Call your representatives to vote NO to additional funds for ICE and CBP today!

#immigrantrights #immdef #familiesbelongtogether

Did you know? Just 89 miles from Los Angeles sits the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, one of the largest immigration detention facilities in California. Inside, our clients report unsafe and degrading conditions so punishing that many feel pressured to abandon their legal cases just to escape detention.

Operated by private prison contractor GEO Group, the facility reflects a detention system that prioritizes confinement over care — where people are denied basic necessities and human dignity. At least 11 people died in ICE custody have died in 2026 alone. Unless this system changes, more deaths are not just foreseeable, they are inevitable.

That's where #TeamImmDef steps in with free deportation defense legal services for immigrants in SoCal detention centers. Right now, the strongest protection against being trapped in ICE detention is having a lawyer by your side and access to bond relief.

📲 You can help free our clients and reunite families by supporting the Detained Immigrant Bond Fund: cluejustice.org/bond

🔗 Learn more about L.T. v. ICE, our case challenging unconstitutional detention conditions at Adelanto: immdef.org/litigation-and-advocacy/ltvice

🏛️The Supreme Court is considering a case with major implications for the rights of people seeking safety at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Swipe through to learn more about the Al Otro Lado case, what is at stake, and how you can stand up for asylum rights ahead of oral argument on March 24.

Click here to learn more: ➡️ https://www.asylumsaveslives.org/

Children are being caught in the crosshairs of a mass deportation scheme.

Parents who step forward to reunite with children in federal custody are being arrested and placed into deportation proceedings, leaving many children stranded in shelters. What should be a process focused on child welfare is instead being used to tear families apart.

ImmDef currently represents 12 children in Southern California whose parents were detained shortly after coming forward to begin the reunification process.

As ImmDef Director of Legal Services Mickey Donovan-Kaloust told @laistofficial, “It's part and parcel of the chaos and cruelty that's marking this administration's approach to immigration policy. We've actually had children ask their parents to stop the reunification process because they're worried that they'll get detained.”

Children deserve to be with their families. They should not have to fear that they'll be used as bait simply because their parents tried to bring them home.��

Read full article here: ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/mu8erbwu

#ImmDef #ImmigrantFamilies #EndFamilySeparation #ImmigrantDefenders #ImmigrantRights #NoImmigrantStandsAlone #ImmigrantJustice

Every child deserves to grow up in a safe environment with their family by their side. Instead, the Trump administration is trapping children in government custody and using them as bait to advance a mass deportation agenda.

For hundreds of unaccompanied children stuck in government custody their release day is out of reach due to ever-changing policies for sponsorship - even if the "sponsor" is their own parent. Families are forced to choose between stepping forward and risking ICE detention, or staying hidden while their child waits alone. Increased interior enforcement only raises the stakes.

While their reunification stalls, children suffer from:

- Regression in developmental milestones
- Heightened anxiety and depression
- Loss of trust in adults
- Trauma from confinement and separation

No child should grow up this way. That’s why having a trained attorney fighting for their rights is non‑negotiable. Legal representation for unaccompanied children is now at risk but you can help protect it. Learn how at treatkidslikekids.org

Unacceptable: since October, 23 people have died in ICE custody this fiscal year as of March 10, 2026. That is a consequence of a violent and negligent system that operates without meaningful oversight. We are grateful to local leadership like Glendale @danforglendale for sharing the story of our client Julio Cesar Peña who was subjected to unnecessary detention, which caused a life‑threatening deterioration of his medical conditions.

Consider honoring Julio’s his life by donating to the family's GoFundMe: https://tinyurl.com/juliogfm

#ImmDef #ImmigrantDefenders #ImmigrantRights #NoImmigrantStandsAlone #ImmigrantJustice #StandWithImmigrants

Immigration court is so complicated that experienced attorneys who practice other types of law won't even touch it. People are being deported because they missed a deadline they didn't know existed. Because no one told them they were legally allowed to stay.

Studies show that having a lawyer makes you five to ten times more likely to win. But most people facing deportation, even in a blue state like California, go through this alone.

@asmmiabonta AB 2600 would change that. California would better guarantee legal representation to people facing deportation because everyone should have the right to a lawyer when their life, liberty and freedom is at risk.

This is a chance for California to defend our values and due process.

If you agree, take 2 minutes to submit a letter of support to the California Legislature: https://calegislation.lc.ca.gov/Advocates/

#AB2600 #RightToCounsel #DueProcess #ImmigrantRights #NoImmigrantStandsAlone

You can help #ClearTheirNames! Write or call your representatives to acknowledge the one year anniversary of when the Trump administration unlawfully and forcibly removed 252 Venezuelan men to El Salvador's CECOT mega-prison without a fair trial.

Reshare this to help defend due process for all!

🚨Demand that DHS must end the practice of outsourcing torture through third‑country removals, restore humanitarian parole, and rebuild a functioning, humane asylum system.
🚨 Demand that DHS must reinstate Temporary Protected Status for all individuals who cannot safely return to their home countries, halt mass deportations and unlawful raids and arrests, and guarantee due process for everyone navigating the immigration system.
🚨 Support the passing of the Neighbors Not Enemies Act, which would repeal the Alien Enemies Act.

Learn more:
freeandry.org/take-action

#ImmigrantDefenders #StandForJustice #DefendDueProcess #JusticeForAll #ImmigrantRights #DueProcess

252 Venezuelan men became the test case for how far the government could push the limits of due process when they were sent to one of the most notorious prisons in the world — without a hearing, without evidence, and without due process.

Now they are demanding accountability.

ImmDef and our partners have filed administrative claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act on behalf of several Venezuelan clients - Andry, Arturo, Maikel, Miguel, Ysqueibel, and Pedro. These men were unlawfully transferred to El Salvador’s CECOT prison after the Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act.

Through these FTCA claims, our clients are seeking to clear their names and obtain compensation for the profound physical, psychological, and economic harm they suffered.

This is the first step toward holding the U.S. government accountable and ensuring this never happens again. #ClearTheirNames

🔗Learn more:
➡️ImmDef.org
➡️Freeandry.org/take-action

#AlienEnemiesAct #Cecot #ImmigrantRights #HumanRights #immigrantdefenders

🚨 One year ago today, more than 250 Venezuelan men were unlawfully rendered to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison after the Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act. Our clients are still living with the consequences of what happened to them, while the people responsible for their suffering walk free and continue to wield their power with impunity.

Through a $4.5 million deal with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, the Department of Homeland Security outsourced the torture of these men while undermining their constitutional right to due process. They were held incommunicado and suffered daily abuse. Men like our clients Andry, Arturo, Maikel, Miguel, Ysqueibel, and Pedro were imprisoned for 125 days for the "crime" of being Venezuelan, male, and tattooed.

Not one of them were given a hearing or a chance to defend themselves against accusations of gang affiliation to Tren de Aragua. If the U.S. government can send people to a third country without a fair trial and face no repercussions, it can happen to anyone. Their stories remind us why due process matters and why we must demand accountability on their behalf.

We will continue this fight for as long as it takes to secure justice for Andry, Arturo, Maikel, Miguel, Ysqueibel, and Pedro. #ClearTheirNames

🔗Learn more:
➡️ImmDef.org
➡️Freeandry.org/take-action

#AlienEnemiesAct #Cecot #ImmigrantRights #HumanRights #immigrantdefenders

🚨BREAKING NEWS: One year after the U.S. government invoked the Alien Enemies Act to send more than 250 Venezuelan men to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison, Immigrant Defenders Law Center has filed administrative claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act against DHS on behalf of six survivors - Andry Hernández Romero, Arturo Suarez Trejo, Maikel Olivera, Miguel Rojas-Mendoza, Ysqueibel Peñaloza Chirinos, and Pedro Escobar Blanco.

Our clients were beaten the moment they arrived at CECOT, before anyone even asked their names. What followed was 125 days of nonstop brutality: extreme physical violence, psychological torment, and in one case sexual abuse. This was not just a prison or detention center, but a chamber of human rights violations financed by DHS and the Trump administration.

Today, they are demanding accountability for the torture and abuse they endured, and calling for an end to the dangerous practice of third-country transfers. Today, they take their power back. #ClearTheirNames

🔗 Read the full press release:
https://www.immdef.org/blog/aeaanniversary

What happens when the immigration court system - which holds the fate of our neighbors' lives in its hands - begins to implode?

ImmDef attorneys report rushed hearings, missing procedural safeguards, and increasing pressure on detained people to withdraw their claims or accept deportation ever since the Trump administration began a nationwide purge of immigration judges replaced them with military 'deportation judges'. This has allowed the mass deportation scheme to infiltrate the immigration court settings. In some cases, people detained for months are sometimes given only days or weeks to prepare complex asylum cases that typically require far more time. The result is a court process moving faster than people’s ability to meaningfully defend their cases.

“It’s never been a particularly fair process for immigrants, but at least there was an attempt at maintaining judicial neutrality,” an ImmDef attorney told @lataco. “At this point the judges are just rubber stamping DHS policies.”

🔗Read More: https://lataco.com/los-angeles-deportation-judges

Another family reunified, #LetsGo 💪 A hard-working father of four was kidnapped off the street by ICE while he was working as a gardener. His family immediately called our Rapid Response Legal Resource Hotline for help - so of course our team sprung into action! We represented him in his bond proceedings, worked with the family to secure all the documents needed, and he was granted bond! His family was forced to pay a whopping $25K bond fee, but luckily they had the ability to pull funds together. With additional advocacy to ensure his timely release by our team, a father and grandfather is back where he belongs: with his family.

Moments like this remind us that behind every case is a human story, a family waiting, and a community that refuses to give up. ❤️

➡️ Help reunite our neighbors with their loved ones. https://www.immdef.org/support

➡️ Help families pay for bond, give to the Detained Immigrant Bond Fund:
cluejustice.org/bond

➡️ Save and share our Rapid Response Legal Resource Hotline: 213-833-8283

#ImmDef #ImmigrantFamilies #EndFamilySeparation #ImmigrantDefenders #ImmigrantRights

“We don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel anytime soon.” A client who has spent the last 15 months in Adelanto ICE prison shared these words with his attorney.

Immigration detention isolates people from their families, their communities, and hope itself. Right now, more than 68,000 people are detained in ICE facilities across the country, under inhumane conditions and immense pressure to give up their immigration cases and accept deportation.

We are fighting back through the L.T. v. ICE lawsuit which demands an end to the inhumane and unconstitutional conditions inside the Adelanto ICE prison.

📲 You can help liberate our clients and reunite them with their families by supporting the Detained Immigrant Bond Fund: cluejustice.org/bond

🔗 Learn more about the L.T. v ICE case which aims to defend immigrants from unconstitutional detention conditions at the Adelanto ICE prison: immdef.org/litigation-and-advocacy/ltvice

On February 25 our community lost an extraordinary husband, father to a U.S. military servicemember, and ImmDef client after his health rapidly declined following a violent ICE abduction and detention. Despite knowing his son was in the military which meant he had a lawful pathway to permanent residency, and being informed of the severity of his illness and treatment needs - ICE refused to release him. During his final days in ICE custody Julio was handcuffed to a hospital bed. His attorney fought tirelessly for his release, and while we celebrated that victory, the truth is devastating: the damage had already been done. His time in detention caused an irreversible decline in his health. For someone as medically vulnerable as Julio, ICE’s tactics were not just negligent — they were life‑threatening.
Julio’s story is not an anomaly. It is a stark example of how ICE’s detention system routinely endangers people with serious medical conditions. When the government violently abducts medically fragile individuals using racial profiling practices, and then fails to provide adequate care, this result is predictable. Deaths while in ICE custody, and deaths that occur after ICE "releases" people still handcuffed to a hospital bed on the brink of death, are not accidents. That is a consequence of a system allowed to operate without meaningful oversight and we demand better from our federal government.
Julio's passing is a call to action. We need rigorous, independent oversight of detention facilities. We need accountability for the harm inflicted on our detained neighbors. And we need the federal government to be reined in so that no one else faces the life‑threatening conditions that Julio endured.

Please consider honoring his life by donating to the family's GoFundMe: https://tinyurl.com/juliogfm

#ImmigrantDefenders #ICEOutNOW

Strong women are all around us — from our attorneys to our clients — women whose courage refuses to back down. Many of our staff choose this work because they’ve been personally impacted by the immigration system. That lived experience fuels our commitment to providing trauma‑informed, high-quality representation and advocacy, ensuring that no one, especially our single moms and detained moms, ever stands alone in court. Supporting immigrant women is an investment in our collective strength, shared dignity, and the world we want to build together.

Thank you @thisisabouthumanity for helping us support our female clients this past #InternationalWomansDay!

#ImmDef #ThisIsAboutHumanity #NoImmigrantStandsAlone #GirlsRule #Womenled #immigrantdefenders #thisisabouthumanity

This #InternationalWomensDay, we took time to care for those who carry so much for their families with a special focus on single mothers, women-led households, and families with detained mothers during a moment when it matters most.

With @thisisabouthumanity and an amazing group of volunteers, we packed and delivered groceries, household necessities, hygiene products, toys, and flowers to more than two dozen families because no one should have to face an unjust immigration system alone.

Thank you to every volunteer, sponsor, and partner who helps continue to make this possible — thank you for standing with our clients. ❤️

@thisisabouthumanity
@immdef_lawcenter
@iwillharness
@ayalafarms
@obb
@elaymca
#SanJuanito Flowers at LA Flower Mall

When immigration enforcement targets families, children carry the consequences.

ICE arrests of children in the San Diego region surged in 2025 from 27 arrests in 2024 to more than 250 last year. Many of these children end up in government custody - facilities meant for short stays while they wait to reunite with loved ones. But data now shows children are being detained for a lot longer - an average of 117 days. For our youngest clients, this is scary and traumatic.

At ImmDef, our attorneys regularly represent children who have been held six months or longer.

“We are seeing lots of tears, a lot of mistrust of adults – you know, they will shut down,” said ImmDef Legal Services Director Mickey Donovan-Kaloust. “Lots of confusion and asking, ‘why am I still here, when will I be able to go with my family?’ and no one can provide an answer to them.” The government's policies and its willingness to pursue mass deportations even at the expense of children’s wellbeing are directly responsible.

🔗 Read the full investigation from Gustavo Solis on @KPBS: https://www.kpbs.org/news/border-immigration/2026/03/09/ice-arrests-of-children-in-san-diego-region-skyrocketed-in-2025-records-show

In the last two weeks five children lost their fathers because ICE agents at the Adelanto ICE prison allegedly ignored Alberto Gutierrez Reyes and Irvin Cruz Nape's repeated pleas for medical help. That’s why we—alongside @PublicCounsel, @CHIRLA, and several named plaintiffs—filed for preliminary injunctive relief in L.T. v. ICE. We’re asking the court to order immediate protections for our clients, and everyone detained at Adelanto so no more lives are lost.

No one should face preventable, life‑threatening harm in detention, and the courts must compel the federal government to honor the dignity and constitutional rights owed to every person in its custody. This is a test of our values, and we refuse to let another life be the price of government neglect.

Learn more about this case: https://www.immdef.org/litigation-and-advocacy/ltvice

#immigrantdefenders #familiesbelongtogether #endimmigrationdetention #EndICEAbuse #ImmigrantRights #JusticeForImmigrants #DignityForAll #NoMoreDeaths

Immigrant Defenders Law Center is proud to be a woman‑led organization. This #InternationalWomensDay, we recommit to fearlessly defending immigrant rights as defensoras sin fronteras—because no woman is free until all women are free. Honor this day by purchasing our Fearlessly Defending Justice poster, featuring a child client who shares ImmDef’s birth year, a collage of our triumphs and challenges behind her, and a compass that symbolizes guidance for our clients as we move together toward justice for all. All proceeds provide free deportation defense to immigrants in Southern California and help us shape nationwide policies that welcome immigrants with dignity.

Celebrate this day by making a purchase now for you or a woman in your life: immdef.org/shop.

#ImmigrantRights #DefensorasSinFronteras #FearlesslyDefending #JusticeForAll #ImmigrantJustice #ImmigrantDefendors #Chingona #GirlsRule #FemaleLed

Our 19-year-old client is finally home!

Thanks to a habeas petition filed by ImmDef Staff Attorney Megan, our client is no longer sitting in an ICE prison cell. He’s back in the arms of his girlfriend and surrounded by the family that never stopped fighting for him.

💌 Love should never be separated by a cruel immigration system. When people have access to strong legal defense, that love has a chance to prevail.

Help us keep families together and make more reunions like our 19-year-old client's possible. Support our work at immdef.org.

#WelcomeHome ❤️

Last week we shared that our client Antonio is FREE from immigration detention and back in the arms of his family, today we're sharing his story in his own words. When Antonio was taken into immigration custody, his wife was six months pregnant. Instead of preparing for the excitement of the birth of their child, she faced the final stage of her pregnancy and the first months of their baby's life alone under extreme stress after ICE abducted her husband from the street.

Immigration raids don’t just imprison people, they shake entire families to their core. The impact is immediate: lost income, mounting bills, children asking where their parent went, and partners forced to carry the weight of survival alone. Luckily his wife found strength and support through his attorney Megan who fought to bring this family back together. Today, Antonio is home, but so many families are still waiting, still hurting, and still holding onto hope that their loved ones will walk through the door again.

Help reunite families and bring their loved one’s home ➡️https://www.immdef.org/support

#FamiliesBelongTogether #ImmigrantFamilies #EndFamilySeparation #ImmigrantRights #ImmDef #ImmigrantDefenders

Our Director of Litigation and Advocacy shares with @laistofficial the truth about what's happening inside one of the largest ICE prisons in the region. From moldy food, inadequate medical care and lack of mental health services - ICE is creating a high-pressure environment to fulfill their mass deportation scheme.

Learn how we and our partners are taking DHS to court and making sure individuals are treated with humanity.

To learn more about our work, visit➡️ https://www.immdef.org/litigation-and-advocacy

#Adelanto #ImmDef #ImmigrantDefenders #ImmigrantRights

Within days of each other, two men - Alberto Gutierrez Reyes of Mexico and Emmanuel Damas of Haiti - died in ICE custody after alleged medical neglect. Their deaths bring the 2026 toll to ten lives lost to ICE’s inhumane and unconstitutional practices. 🚨Detention should never be a death sentence.🚨

Emmanuel, held at Florence ICE prison in Arizona, died unconscious and handcuffed to a hospital bed while his family said their last goodbye. Alberto, held at Adelanto ICE prison in California, died alone, denied even a final goodbye to his son and wife.

A new national poll shows 67%* of Americans believe ICE and CBP tactics have gone “too far.” The public understands what our federal government refuses to face: cruelty for immigrants grants safety for no one. We are at a moral crossroads. Congress must decide whether this nation will uphold the Constitution and our humanity for every person - as it was intended - or continue to succumb to Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem's racist deportation scheme.

Source: https://maristpoll.marist.edu/polls/the-actions-of-ice-february-2026/

#ImmigrantRights #EndICEAbuse #JusticeForImmigrants #StopDetentionDeaths #HumanRights #ImmigrantJustice #NoMoreDeaths #DHSAccountability #AlexPretti #ReneeGood #NotOneMoreCentforDHS

¿Le preocupa hacer valer sus derechos constitucionales al encontrarse con ICE? Únase a nuestro taller virtual "Conozca sus Derechos" el lunes 9 de marzo, organizado junto con #RepresentLA.

En este seminario web, abordaremos:
✅Derechos Constitucionales
✅Encuentros con ICE
✅Recursos del Sur de California

En momentos de incertidumbre, nuestra mejor defensa es el conocimiento. Es importante recordar que, independientemente de su estatus migratorio, los derechos constitucionales pertenecen a todos. Conocer sus derechos es vital para defenderse y protegerse a sí mismo, a su familia y a sus vecinos.

Haga clic aquí para registrarse: ⤵️
https://tinyurl.com/yhmv82cu

...

Don't let not knowing your rights stand in the way of living your life with confidence. Join our virtual Know Your Rights workshop on Thursday, March 19 at 6:30 PM PST with our team in collaboration with #RepresentLA.

Click here to register: ⤵️
https://tinyurl.com/bwy34jbc

#ImmDef #ImmigrantDefenders #ImmigrantRights #NoImmigrantStandsAlone #KnowYourRights #VirtualKYR #ImmDef #ImmigrantDefenders #ConozcaSusDerechos

“I have been in detention for almost 15 months, and to me this detention is like hell.”

These are the words of our client, written from inside the Adelanto ICE Prison, where he has remained detained for nearly 15 months.

No one should be subjected to inhumane or life-threatening conditions while engaging with the immigration system. Yet today, over 68,000 people are imprisoned in ICE facilities across the country, separated from their families and communities.

Immigration detention places immense pressure on people to abandon their legal right to defend themselves from deportation and explore pathways to citizenship.

📲 You can help liberate our clients and reunite them with their families by supporting the Detained Immigrant Bond Fund: cluejustice.org/bond
📲 Learn more about the L.T. v ICE case which aims to defend immigrants from unconstitutional detention conditions at the Adelanto ICE prison: https://www.immdef.org/litigation-and-advocacy/ltvice

UPDATE: A federal court in the Central District of California has denied the government’s motion to dismiss Vasquez Perdomo v. Noem.

That means, our lawsuit challenging ICE’s unconstitutional enforcement tactics moves forward.
The judge reaffirmed that these abuses are not “isolated incidents”. The Constitution’s Fifth Amendment requires equal treatment and fair treatment. The actions by ICE violate both.
We’re continuing the fight in court, because discrimination is not enforcement. It’s unconstitutional.

To support our work and to learn more visit ➡️ ImmDef.org

#ImmDef #ImmigrantDefenders #ImmigrantRights #NoImmigrantStandsAlone #VasquezPerdomovNoem

Our fight for immigrant justice is unrelenting.
Even in the face of setbacks, heartbreak, and an unjust immigration system, we refuse to back down. Our commitment to defending immigrant rights took our team in and out of the courtroom to defend our clients from an unjust immigration system. Go #TeamImmDef 💪

1 - Our Directing Attorney of Policy and Advocacy joined @repdeliaramirez and other advocacy organizations to introduce the Full-Body Restraint Prohibition Act.
2 - Addressed @lacity council urging leaders to enshrine the right of access to counsel for families fighting separation.
3- Directing Attorney of Policy and Advocacy, Margaret, joined faith leaders in Washington, D.C. with over 1,200 people from across the country for the Faithful Resistance Day of Action demanding ICE and CBP be held accountable.
4- Directing Attorney of Policy and Advocacy, Margaret, joined Marcelo Gomes da Silva to advocate for accountability from DHS. Marcelo is an 18-year-old Milford High School student from Massachusetts, detained by ICE agents in early June 2025 while driving to volleyball practice.
5 - Filed a federal lawsuit for the inhumane treatment at the Adelanto Detention Center.
6 - Community came together for a golf fundraiser.
7 - Received the Human Rights Award from LA County alongside other Vazquez-Perdomo v Noem co-counsel and plaintiffs!
8 - Joined community leaders to restrict ICE enforcement in the city of Los Angeles
9 - Participated in community actions and demonstrations in San Diego.
10 - Joined @rep.peteaguilar and and @repmarktakano in San Bernardino to demand accountability from DHS for their brutal enforcement actions.
11 - Joined @dublab for a know your rights radio hour
12 - Hosted an asylum clinic for people needing one-on-one assistance with their applications.
13 - Hosted a bittersweet despedida for our co-founder Susan Ava’s retirement to thank her for her lifelong dedication to immigrant rights.

#ImmDef #immigrantDefenders #ImmigrantRights #NoImmigrantStandsAlone ImmigrantJustice

¡Gran victoria! Un tribunal federal ha denegado el intento del gobierno de desestimar nuestro caso, que impugnaba al ICE y la CBP por realizar detenciones y arrestos ilegales y restringir el acceso a la asistencia letrada a inmigrantes en el sur de California.

En su decisión, el tribunal rechazó el argumento del gobierno de que se trataba simplemente de "incidentes aislados", reconociendo en cambio que las acusaciones describen violaciones frecuentes y recurrentes de la ley.

Hoy presentamos una demanda enmendada con dos alegaciones adicionales:

1) El gobierno está atacando a las personas por su raza o etnia, punto. La raza nunca debería ser un factor para la aplicación de la ley; nadie debería ser discriminado por su apariencia o por su percepción (¡especialmente por agentes del ICE mal capacitados!).

2) Estos encuentros no son conversaciones educadas y consensuadas, como parece creer el juez Kavanaugh. Son aterradores, coercitivos y, a menudo, brutales, y van mucho más allá de lo que permite la ley. Los estadounidenses se han dado cuenta: cuando agentes del ICE enmascarados y armados te rodean, nada de eso es consensuado.

En resumen: El gobierno federal no puede eludir la Constitución. El derecho al debido proceso y la igualdad de protección ante la ley no se les puede negar a los inmigrantes del sur de California. ¡Seguiremos luchando en los tribunales!🙌

🔗 Obtenga más información y manténgase al día sobre el caso: immdef.org/litigation-and-advocacy/vasquez-perdomo-v-noem

📌 Si observa actividad de ICE en su vecindario, llame a la Red de Respuesta Rápida de Los Ángeles al 888-624-4752.
🚨 Si usted o un ser querido es detenido por las autoridades migratorias en el sur de California, llame a nuestra Línea Directa de Recursos Legales de Respuesta Rápida al (213) 833-8283.

Major win! A federal court has denied the government’s attempt to dismiss our case challenging ICE and CBP from carrying out unlawful stops and arrests and from restricting access to counsel for immigrants in Southern California.

In its decision, the court rejected the government’s argument that these were merely “isolated incidents,” recognizing instead that the allegations describe frequent and recurring violations of the law.

Today, we filed an amended complaint with two additional claims:

1) The government is targeting people because of their race or ethnicity, full stop. Race should never be a factor for enforcement; no one should be singled out because of how they look or are perceived (especially by poorly trained ICE agents)!

2) These encounters aren’t polite, consensual conversations as Justice Kavanaugh seems to believe. They’re frightening, coercive, and often brutal, and they go far beyond what the law allows. Americans have caught on: when masked and armed ICE agents surround you, nothing about that is consensual.

TLDR: The federal government can't avoid the Constitution. The right to due process and equal protection under the law cannot be denied to immigrants in SoCal. We will continue to fight in court!🙌

🔗 Learn more and stay up-to-date on the case: immdef.org/litigation-and-advocacy/vasquez-perdomo-v-noem

📌 If you see ICE activity in your neighborhood, call the LA Rapid Response Network at 888-624-4752.
🚨 If you or a loved one is detained by Immigration enforcement in SoCal, call our Rapid Response Legal Resource Hotline at (213) 833-8283.

Black History Month reminds us that the fight for freedom is intersectional.✊🏾✨

The struggle for civil rights and immigrant rights is deeply interconnected, grounded in the same hope for dignity, opportunity, and justice for every person. We are proud to sign on as one of the 125 organizations that called for support from Congressional Black Caucus leadership to defend Black immigrant communities.

Swipe to learn how to stand up for Black migrants and advocate for TPS for African countries.

Follow and support these Black-led organizations fighting for immigrant rights:

@africansus
@african_coalition
@africanadvocacynetwork
@instabaji
@translawcenter (Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project)
@haitianbridge
@undocublack
@cairmn
@nationalactionnetwork

#BlackHistoryMonth #ImmigrantHistory #ImmDef #ImmigrantRights

Congress is back from recess, that means it's time to flood the phone lines! #NotOneMoreCentForDHS Ensure your rep won't cave to re‑open the government and leave ICE and CBP unchecked. Tell your representative to hold DHS accountable for the deaths, destruction, and terror to our communities.

We must pressure Congress to hold firm on not one more dollar for DHS until our demands are met. Swipe to learn what to say to your representative.

#TakeAction #ImmigrantDefenders #NoImmigrantStandsAlone #civicduty

🏠 Welcome home, Antonio*❣️Since 2014 Antonio has called Los Angeles home. He built his life here supporting his family through years of hard, steady work as a painter in homes and businesses across our city.

Antonio was arrested by ICE in June 2025. The timing could not have been worse for his family; while he was detained for 8 months, his wife gave birth to their third daughter. We are pleased to share that today, after months of separation and uncertainty, Antonio finally held his youngest child for the very first time thanks to the advocacy of our legal team.

With Staff Attorney Megan's steadfast advocacy in federal court, Antonio is back where he belongs: at home, surrounded by the people who love him. For his daughters, it means their dad is back at the dinner table, can tuck them in at bedtime, and their rhythm of life becomes more predictable.

Families belong together. Stand with us as we fight for every family still waiting for their own reunion. Support our work at immdef.org.

Bienvenido, Antonio. ❤️

*Name has been changed to protect our client's privacy.

#FamilyUnity #FamiliesBelongTogether #ImmigrantRights #FamilySeparation #Advocacy #ImmDef #HumanRights #ProtectKids

If your loved one is struggling with mental health challenges while in immigration detention, you can take action.

A Third Party Notification (TPN) allows you to inform the court about concerns that may affect their ability to participate in their case. Through a TPB, you can submit a letter, medical records, or other evidence of mental health challenges.

You can help by:
• Encouraging your loved one to tell the Immigration Judge about any mental health symptoms or disabilities
• Submitting a TPN with supporting medical records or testimony
• Urging them to request mental health care at their ICE facility
• Reminding them that only an Immigration Judge can determine incompetence

Your advocacy can make a meaningful difference in protecting their rights. For more information, make sure to visit Immdef.org/resources

#ImmDef #ImmigrantDefenders #ImmigrantResources #NoImmigrantStandsAlone
...

Si su ser querido enfrenta problemas de salud mental mientras se encuentra en detención migratoria, puede tomar medidas.

Una Notificación a Terceros (TPN) le permite informar al tribunal sobre las preocupaciones que podrían afectar su participación en el caso. A través de una TPB, puede presentar una carta, historial médico u otra evidencia de problemas de salud mental.

Puede ayudar:
• Animando a su ser querido a informar al Juez de Inmigración sobre cualquier síntoma o discapacidad de salud mental.
• Presentando una TPN con historial médico o testimonio de respaldo.
• Instándolo a solicitar atención de salud mental en su centro de detención de ICE.
• Recordándole que solo un Juez de Inmigración puede determinar la incompetencia.

Su defensa puede marcar una diferencia significativa en la protección de sus derechos. Para obtener más información, visite Immdef.org/resources

More than a shirt, it’s solidarity. 💙

Our newest tee is more than a design, it’s a statement of hope, belonging, and love for immigrant families. Together, we can protect dreams, preserve families, and build a future where #NoImmigrantStandsAlone against an unjust immigration system. All proceeds support legal representation for Southern Californians facing deportation.

Become a defender ⤵️
https://www.immdef.org/support

Mural @therobertvargas

#ImmDef #ImmigrantDefenders #ImmigrantRights #NoImmigrantStandsAlone

This Valentine’s Day, we celebrate the hands that packed more hope than luggage and carried love in every suitcase.

The hearts that carried two homes, two languages, two cultures at once.

They left behind the familiar not just for opportunity, but for love, love for their children, love for endless possibility, love for generations to come.

Our classrooms, our kitchens, our hospital floors, entire neighborhoods are enriched by those who sacrificed everything. Immigrants have stitched their dreams into the fabric of this nation.

They left behind the familiar to build something new.

They turned sacrifice into opportunity.

They planted seeds of possibility so the next generation could bloom.

Happy Valentine’s Day to the dreamers, the builders, the brave hearts who remind us that love is the greatest act of courage. 💌✨

Thank you ❤️
@goconstance
@yvettenacer

Every client deserves a fierce advocate by their side. 💪

ImmDef is a next-generation social justice law firm that provides high-quality representation to immigrants across Southern California. We are hiring attorneys and law clerks across our offices in Riverside, Los Angeles, Santa Ana, and San Diego. Join us to defend our immigrant communities in removal proceedings and advance universal representation.

Learn more and apply: https://www.immdef.org/jobs

#NowHiring #AttorneyJobs #Immigration #CareersInLaw #LegalCareers #SoCalLawyers #ImmigrationLawyer #Careers #ImmigrantRights #socialJustice #HumanRights #NonProfitJobs #LawJob

Did you know? 🚨 DHS runs out of funding on Friday 2/13. Show your love for immigrants this week by calling your representatives and urging them to reject additional DHS funding until ICE's terror stops, funds are cut, and ICE and CBP are out of our communities❣️ Tell Congress to draw a line with ICE and CBP to end their violent enforcement tactics.

Take action:
💘Visit our Linktree for two-click actions: https://linktr.ee/immDef_lawcenter
💘 Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121

#ICEOut

Elizer’s first thoughts after realizing he was being detained by ICE on his way to work were of his children and his wife. He continued thinking of them while imprisoned at Adelanto ICE Prison where he was stripped not only from his family but from his dignity and denied even the most basic hygiene products that every person deserves. For two months, he held onto hope that he would soon return home. That day finally came thanks to ImmDef’s dedicated legal team and the support of the Detained Immigrant Bond Fund.

Thanks to compassionate donors, Elizer had representation for his bond hearing free of charge, and was able to post his bond. Elizer is just one of the many people who have been helped by the Detained Immigrant Bond Fund. Every contribution is more than a dollar amount; it’s a hand reaching through the cruelty of immigration system to reunite families. The fund urgently needs replenishing so we can continue bringing home people who have been granted release.

Help reunite families ➡️: https://www.cluejustice.org/bond

The Fifth Amendment guarantees due process to every person on U.S. soil—not just citizens, not just those entered with documentation, but every human being. That means no one can be seized without cause and deported within days without the chance to speak to an attorney, understand their rights, or let alone be found within ICE's own systems. But our attorneys have seen this happen as recently as last week. Allegedly Tom Lyons, acting director of ICE, said back in April 2025 that ICE needs to operate “like a business… like [Amazon] Prime, but with human beings.” But the Constitution is not a commodity and cannot be twisted to justify a cruel vision for immigration enforcement at the expense of dignity and due process for all.

📢No federal agency is above the law. Take action now:
📞Call your representative before Friday Feb. 13 and urge them to vote no on additional funding for ICE and CBP with #ICEOut demands: No more: continuing resolutions, qualified immunity, enforcement at sensitive locations, warrantless arrests, family detention and expanding detention facilities, racial profiling, mission creep, Operation PARRIS, Alien Enemies Act, etc.! We need: a full Congressional investigation into use of force/deadly force.

If you or someone you know is facing deportation or an ICE check-in, visit ImmDef.org/Resources for help.

#ImmDef #recursosdeinmigracion #takeaction #alert #immigrantdefender

Defending children in government custody!

Children should not have to sue in federal court to have their voices heard and their rights respected, but as the government continues to detain children for long periods without explanation, ImmDef has answered the call. In the past two months, our Litigation & Advocacy team alongside our Children’s Representation Program has filed three habeas petitions in Federal District Court on behalf of a total of eleven children facing prolonged detention in ORR custody. In response, the government released all eleven children to their families - with a final child reunited with her mother and siblings after 278 days, welcomed at the airport with open arms and balloons before finally going home together!

The prolonged detention and separation of children from their loving families brings back ugly memories of the Zero Tolerance days that shocked the nation's conscience. It also violates children's rights under the law.

ImmDef stands with children and families and will keep fighting until justice is not the exception, but the standard.

📲 Learn more about our work to protect children and reunite immigrant families at immdef.org.

#ProtectKids #ChildAdvocacy #ImmigrantJustice #LegalAdvocacy #ImmDef

Applying for Asylum in the United States? Here is important information.

As of July 2025, USCIS and EOIR implemented new fees for asylum applications, including an initial filing fee as well as an annual fee for pending asylum cases. This is a major change for those applying for asylum or have a pending case. Failure to pay can result in your application being considered abandoned and may even impact your immigration court case.

⚠️Here are some important reminders:
✅ Payments are electronic only (no cash, checks, or money orders).
✅ Do not submit payments twice.
✅ Download, print, and save your receipt with your A-Number and tracking ID.
✅ Pay only after receiving official notice, if required.

If you are filing affirmative asylum but have no current court case, payments are made through the USCIS online payment system.
For step-by-step guidance and for more additional resources, visit 💻
ImmDef.org/resources

See full video here: ⤵️
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdyT2u-13XY&t=1s

...

¿Está solicitando asilo en los Estados Unidos? Aquí tenemos información importante.

A partir de julio de 2025, USCIS e EOIR implementaron nuevas tarifas para las solicitudes de asilo, incluyendo una tarifa inicial de presentación y una tarifa anual para los casos de asilo pendientes. Este es un cambio importante para quienes solicitan asilo o tienen un caso pendiente. El incumplimiento del pago puede resultar en que su solicitud se considere abandonada e incluso puede afectar su caso ante el tribunal de inmigración.

⚠️Aquí tiene algunos recordatorios importantes:
✅ Los pagos son solo electrónicos (no se aceptan efectivo, cheques ni giros postales).
✅ No realice pagos duplicados.
✅ Descargue, imprima y guarde su recibo con su número A y número de seguimiento.
✅ Pague solo después de recibir la notificación oficial, si es necesario.

Si está presentando una solicitud de asilo afirmativo pero no tiene un caso judicial activo, los pagos se realizan a través del sistema de pago en línea de USCIS.

Para obtener instrucciones paso a paso y más recursos, visite 💻 ImmDef.org/resources.

Vea el video completo aquí. ⤵️
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdD4ccqyW9c

Leonela’s case marks a devastating new low for ICE and their unlawful enforcement patterns. ICE told our legal team she was never processed, yet two days later she was suddenly in Nicaragua, after she was likely pressured into signing deportation papers she did not want and could not meaningfully consent to without access to an attorney.

Leonela is eight months pregnant, entitled under federal law and ICE’s own detention standards to heightened medical care, legal access, and protection from coercion. These rapid removals, carried out without transparency or proper documentation, leave families frantically searching for loved ones while the government denies having them in custody. This is not a procedural error, this is the circumvention of due process for the sake of a cruel deportation agenda.

That they did this while a lawyer and two members of Congress were physically searching for her is a level of defiance toward both the law and congressional oversight that should shock the conscience.

📞 If you or a loved one may be detained or facing ICE enforcement in Southern California, contact our Rapid Response Legal Resource Hotline at 213-833-8283 or visit immdef.org/rapidresponse for support and resources.

#RapidResponse #ImmigrantRights #Detention #Immdef

From the early days at to @ufwfoundation, to founding @chirla_org and @immdef_lawcenter, Susan Alva has shaped policy, defended human rights, and championed immigrant justice with unwavering courage for the last 50 years. Now as she enters retirement, the team at ImmDef thanks her for her unwavering commitment to the immigrant justice movement.

Susan's decades of advocacy have transformed lives and expanded rights nationwide. But to Susan, she never saw this work as a career. She saw it as, "Just part of who I am," within her life of service. Today we honor her extraordinary legacy and celebrate her efforts.

💐Susan - your leadership has shaped not only the work we do, but the people we’ve become while doing it. Thank you for the wisdom you’ve shared, the fire you’ve sparked in all of us, and the countless lives you’ve touched along the way. Your legacy lives in every immigrant defender you’ve inspired.

🎉 Wish her a wonderful retirement below in the comments. ⬇️

#ImmDef #ImmigrantDefenders #ImmigrantRights #NoImmigrantStandsAlone

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Chaque jour, la protection juridique des demandeurs d'asile et le respect des principes d'une procédure régulière sont mis à rude épreuve. Notre équipe est en première ligne : elle plaide, intente des actions en justice et se mobilise pour que justice ne soit pas refusée à ceux qui en ont le plus besoin.

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