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Our Mission

Advocate.

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RILA supports immigrants in our community by providing excellent, pro bono immigration legal assistance to those who are most vulnerable and who have the fewest resources.

 

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  • From Welcoming the Stranger:

    Caring for immigrants is a central theme of Scripture....God does not suggest that we welcome immigrants; he commands it --not once or twice, but over and over again.

    By Matthew Soerens & Jenny Hwang

  • From Hebrews 13:2

    Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

    The Holy Bible, New International Version

  • From Leviticus 19

    When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself

    The Holy Bible, English Standard Version

  • From Matthew 25

    For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me... as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.

    The Holy Bible, English Standard Version

 

What We Do.

  • Represent asylum seekers in Immigration Court and the Asylum Office

  • Pursue Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS)

  • Submit Employment Authorization Document applications

  • Help immigrant families better understand their individual situations and the immigration benefits for which they may be eligible

1300+

work authorization
applications approved

These permits allow our clients to pursue gainful employment while asylum case is pending.

900+

INDIVIDUAL clients

RILA families represent countries in Central and South America, Africa, and Asia, the Middle East, and most of them are fleeing persecution and inescapable violence in their home countries.

100%

Cost covered

For each case that would cost up to $10,000 at a private law firm, RILA gives the gift of legal representation 100% free of charge for those who otherwise could not afford the fees.

 
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RILA Stories

We have been continually blessed to become part of our clients’ stories. Read below for just a few stories from those we serve, discussing their experiences with immigration, family, and how RILA has made an impact on their lives.

Carlos’ story

What do you do when your child is in danger? Carlos’s town was overrun by the MS-13 gang and the drugs they trafficked. When his 14-year-old son, Nico, was followed home from school by a gang member and then assaulted for running away, Carlos didn’t know what to do: “Now that Nico had resisted MS-13, he was in imminent danger.”

Read Full Story

Manuel’s Story

Upon graduating from high school, Manuel was pressured to join a gang, which he had grown up seeing extort money from public bus passengers.  “At first I didn’t understand why they wanted me since I had never done anything bad.  I had only focused on studying and going to church…I think they wanted to recruit me because I was trying to forge a future for myself.”

Read Full Story