CIJF funds legal resources for underserved communities

Louisiana imprisons about 20% of all of the detained asylum seekers in the United States. Roughly 4,000 immigrants are in Louisiana immigration prisons, or about 4 times as many as in Colorado. 

Even worse, only 16 Louisiana-based asylum attorneys are listed on the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s website. 

Last year, we announced our partnership with Home is Here NOLA. With funding from CIJF, Home is Here launched a project to provide long-term legal resources for asylum seekers in Louisiana. 

We have invested another $30,000 in 2024 to expand the work in Louisiana.

With this funding, Home is Here has created resources to guide asylum seekers through their first year in the US, including

• Overview of the asylum process for new arrivals

• Who does what - a listing of immigration agencies that provide services for asylum seekers

• Legal advocacy that asylum seekers can do without an attorney

• Guidance for where to find information on asylum cases and what forms to complete

The materials have been translated into multiple languages, and have been used to supplement legal aid workshops hosted by Home is Here in Louisiana. 

Eventually, we anticipate that these materials can be used by immigrants throughout the country. 

We cannot say it enough: Thank you to our donors, who have made this possible!

CIJF in the News!

CIJF was launched by Casa de Paz volunteers who visited immigrants detained in the Aurora, CO immigrant detention center. 

During the past winter and spring, numerous students from the University of Denver, the University of Colorado - Denver, and the University of Colorado - Boulder have volunteered with Casa’s visitation program. 

Several of these students have successfully advocated for CIJF to fund the asylum cases of detained immigrants they visited. 

Recently, Denver 7 ran this story about the DU / Casa de Paz / CIJF partnership. We think the story was well done, and we hope you enjoy it!

With hope and gratitude, 
Greg Mortimer, on behalf of the Colorado Immigrant Justice Fund team