Immigration Civil Legal Advocate

he Bronx Defenders was founded on a simple premise – that our job is to reimagine what a public defender office can, and should do, for the people we represent.

As public defenders, we know that the systems we fight are deeply rooted in racism, surveillance, and control. That’s why our work extends beyond the courtroom. We engage in community organizing, legislative advocacy, and proactive litigation, working with the people we represent to fight for structural change.

Since opening our doors in 1997, we have grown into an office serving nearly 20,000 Bronx residents each year. Every day, we confront and challenge the oppressive legal systems that criminalize poverty, separate families, and systematically target Black, Latine, immigrant, and low-income New Yorkers.

The Bronx Defenders (BxD) – an innovative, progressive, holistic indigent defense office in the South Bronx – seeks a passionate individual with a commitment to social justice to fill a position as an Immigration Civil Legal Advocate (ICLA).

Founded in 1997, The Bronx Defenders is a public defender nonprofit that has developed a nationally recognized model of representation called holistic defense, which provides people with teams of lawyers, social workers, and advocates to defend them zealously in court as well as to address the underlying drivers and enmeshed penalties of legal system involvement.  

Since opening our doors, we have grown into an organization of more than 400 staff members defending nearly 20,000 New Yorkers each year in criminal, family, civil, and immigration proceedings who face incarceration, family separation, eviction, and deportation, among other devastating consequences.   

Today we are reimagining the role of public defense even further, using community organizing and engagement, legislative advocacy, and impact litigation to partner with the communities we represent to bring about long-lasting systemic change.   

We also share our model and lessons learned with current and future public defenders. We run two legal clinics at NYC law schools and train public defenders from one end of the country to the next on how to move to a holistic model of representation.   

Immigration Practice 

Nearly a third of the residents of the Bronx were born outside the United States, and many face the unprecedented threat of detention and deportation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Our attorneys help people facing criminal, family, and civil proceedings make informed and strategic decisions to protect their rights. We are also one of the three public defender organizations leading the nation’s first-ever universal representation program for detained immigrants facing deportation.    

Reporting to the Immigration Civil Legal Advocate Supervisor, Immigration Civil Legal Advocates collaborate with attorneys to advocate on behalf of our clients  

• Advocate on behalf of clients before the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 
• Prepare defensive and affirmative applications for immigration relief including, but not limited to, naturalization, adjustment of status, employment authorization, cancellation of removal, asylum, humanitarian visas and fee waivers 
• Travel to immigration detention centers located in New Jersey and upstate New York to meet with clients and gather information for relief applications  
• Gather documentary evidence from domestic and international sources including, but not limited to, medical, school and criminal legal system records in support of our clients’ removal defense, applications for relief, and/or requests for release from detention 
• Travel to courts and various administrative offices and agencies to gather necessary documents for client cases 
• Research and compile country conditions evidence in connection to our clients’ proceedings and affirmative applications 
• Assist family members and witnesses in drafting letters in support of our clients’ applications 
• Coordinate logistics connected to our clients’ release from detention, deportation or voluntary departure with client, their family members and DHS 
• Update client information in our case management system 
• Pursue Department of Justice (DOJ) partial accreditation and comply with the requirements to maintain partial accreditation.  
• Represent clients in applications before USCIS as a DOJ partially accredited representative. 

To be eligible, applicants must have:  

• Fluency or high-level proficiency in Spanish, validated objectively 
• 1–3 years of experience providing direct legal or advocacy support in immigration or related public interest settings 
• DOJ partial accreditation or eligibility and willingness to pursue accreditation 
• A Valid driver’s license or ability to obtain one in the first 6 months of employment. Travel by car is the easiest way to get to immigration detention centers; car is provided   

Applicants must demonstrate: 

• Commitment to defending people with limited financial resources placed in removal proceedings or facing immigration consequences based on contact with the family regulation and/or criminal legal system  
• Experience working in and with racially, ethnically and socioeconomically marginalized communities targeted by systemic injustice 
• Ability to effectively and respectfully communicate, collaborate and connect with people with various backgrounds, identities and experiences  
• Ability to work well independently as well as collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team of lawyers and non-lawyers 
• Commitment to fierce advocacy, and willingness to strategically challenge authority in defense of clients 
• Strong verbal and written advocacy skills 
• Strong analytical skills and capacity to employ non-legal resources   
• Ability to multitask, maintain order and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment  
• Meticulous attention to detail 
• Ability to think critically and creatively, finding innovative solutions to unique obstacles 
• Ability to receive constructive feedback, demonstrate introspection and shift behavior accordingly 
• Ability to exercise excellent judgment, discretion, and confidentiality with sensitive matters 

Preferred but not required: 

• Bachelor's degree   
• Experience engaging with federal immigration agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), or the Department of Justice (DOJ), on behalf of clients 
• Experience preparing and assisting with immigration applications — including naturalization, adjustment of status, asylum, humanitarian visas, employment authorization, and fee waivers 
• Experience with direct services in immigration work is strongly preferred, but not required  
• Familiarity with case management systems and immigration legal workflows 

Salary is commensurate with experience.  For candidates with 1-5 years of directly relevant experience, the salary range for this position is approximately $68,500 - $71,500. Full-time employees are also eligible for a comprehensive benefits package including but not limited to medical, dental and vision coverage; a 403(b) plan with employer contribution; and a generous vacation, sick leave, and parental leave policy.