30 Years of Immigrants' Rights Trailblazing

The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) wins federal funding for the National Center for Immigrants' Rights. The Center, a project of LAFLA, is the first national legal services support center specializing in immigration.

The Center wins a preliminary injunction against home raids conducted by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), in Zepeda v. INS.

The Center's directing attorney argues before the U.S. Supreme Court for the right of undocumented children to attend public school, in Plyler v. Doe.

In Orantes-Hernandez v. Smith, Center attorneys win a nationwide preliminary injunction to stop the INS from coercing thousands of detained Salvadorans who fled horrific wartime conditions into signing "voluntary departure" forms that waive their rights to apply for asylum.

Center attorneys conduct dozens of depositions across the country regarding INS arrest and detention practices for the Orantes case.

After a trial in Perez-Funez v. District Director, the Center wins a nationwide permanent injunction requiring the INS to put detained minors in contact with legal service organizations before presenting them with voluntary departure forms.

Congress enacts the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), establishing a broad legalization program as well as the nation's first employer sanctions law.

The Center does extensive work promoting fair implementation of new legalization provisions and developing materials to help organizations across the country assist people applying for legalization.

The Center wins a nationwide permanent injunction in Orantes, requiring the INS to provide detained Salvadoran immigrants with basic due process protections.


The Center and co-counsel win a preliminary injunction in a class action lawsuit, Zambrano v. INS, challenging an INS policy of treating immigrants as ineligible for legalization if they had received public benefits.

The Center obtains an injunction in Mendez v. Thornburgh, a challenge to the actions of the INS Los Angeles District in forming a task force of untrained officers who denied over 30,000 asylum applications in a five-month period. INS is enjoined from relying on these denials, and must give the applicants new interviews conducted with properly trained officers.

The Center changes its official name to National Immigration Law Center (NILC).

NILC launches a program to promote use of the new immigration law's antidiscrimination provisions to protect the rights of workers to be free from immigration-related unfair employment practices.

NILC brings litigation on behalf of 9 adults (Gonzalez-Centeno v. U.S.) and 2 juveniles (Flores-Garcia v. U.S.) who were beaten by INS detention officers in El Centro, California. The pattern of beatings stops after the suits are brought, and the cases are ultimately settled.

NILC publishes the first edition of its Guide to Immigrant Eligibility for Federal Programs, the first of several editions that become the foremost reference on this topic.

NILC files a nationwide class action lawsuit, Espindola v. INS, to challenge the INS's implementation of the green card replacement program. As a result, permanent residents required to replace older versions of green cards ultimately gain three extra years to replace their cards.

In Rodriguez-Mendez v. Anderson, NILC wins an injunction against the California Department of Social Services to prevent its continuation of a new policy suspending adoptions in which the adoptive parent or child is undocumented.

NILC files the Lauderbach v. Zolin lawsuit challenging the California Dept. of Motor Vehicle's interpretation of a new statute to deny driver's licenses to immigrants ineligible for Social Security numbers (SSNs). Ultimately, the litigation results in a ruling that prevents denial of licenses to immigrants who are lawfully present in the U.S. but ineligible for an SSN.

NILC opens an office in Washington, DC, in order to provide more effective input on federal policies, in particular on health care reform issues.

California enacts Proposition 187, a ballot measure containing sweeping restrictions affecting immigrants. NILC files a lawsuit, Guillen v. Belshe, challenging the benefits restrictions of the proposition. Ultimately, nearly all of Prop 187 is thrown out in consolidated litigation.

NILC and co-counsel obtain a nationwide settlement in the class action lawsuit Maca-Alvarez v. Reno, challenging an INS interpretation of family unity eligibility that imposes continual presence requirements that are not required by law.

In July, NILC becomes an independent organization. Despite the loss of funding from LAFLA, NILC actually grows into a full-fledged national organization poised to respond to challenges immigrants in the U.S. face at the time.

In October, the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA) is enacted, expanding the bases for removing immigrants from the country, restricting due process and judicial review, and completely restructuring U.S. immigration law.

In Walters v. Reno, NILC obtains a nationwide permanent injunction preventing the INS from continuing to use misleading forms that caused immigrants to inadvertently give up their right to seek permanent residence in removal proceedings.

Also in October, NILC convenes its first national conference in Washington, DC. More than 300 advocates from across the country participate in three days of meetings to develop strategies for defending immigrants' access to public benefits in the implementation of the new welfare law.

With sweeping welfare reform legislation pending before Congress, NILC and four other leading immigrant rights groups form the California Immigrant Welfare Collaborative to strengthen joint advocacy efforts with respect to welfare programs that affect immigrants in California.

In August, a new welfare law, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), is enacted that includes provisions to deny legal immigrants basic safety-net programs, including Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicaid, and food stamps.

NILC works to restore fundamental safety-net benefits to immigrants and extend benefits for those facing impending cutoffs of SSI and food stamps.

Congress passes the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, which restores benefits for some immigrants.

NILC and co-counsel file a series of lawsuits in California raising different claims against Governor Pete Wilson's efforts to deny prenatal care to undocumented women — Carmen Doe v. Wilson, Clementina Doe v. Wilson, Milagro Doe v. DPSS. These efforts are ultimately successful.

In Gorbach v. Reno, NILC wins a nationwide injunction prohibiting the INS from reopening and revoking naturalization cases without having hearings on the cases in federal court, as required by statute.

In CARECEN v. Reno, challenging immigration detention conditions at the San Pedro, Calif., detention facility, NILC obtains a settlement forcing the INS to agree that detention standards violations at the facility must be subject to court enforcement.

As a result of extensive advocacy by NILC and its allies, the INS issues guidance determining that the use of health care, food stamps, and other noncash benefits, among other things, should not adversely affect the recipient's application for U.S. citizenship.

NILC and co-counsel reach a settlement with the INS in Canales v. Novak, which challenged the failure of the INS to timely issue work authorization to applicants for temporary protected status (TPS). Under the settlement, the INS agrees to refund some fees paid by applicants and to accept late motions to reopen TPS denials.

After intensive advocacy efforts, four major federal agencies — the Social Security Administration (SSA), the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Dept. of Labor — issue a joint regulation narrowly interpreting the scope of the welfare law's INS reporting provisions.

NILC, National Council of La Raza, and the AFL-CIO convene the Low-Wage Immigrant Worker (LWIW) Coalition, which provides a forum for immigrant rights groups and labor unions to share information and joint strategies regarding the SSA's "no-match" letters and other issues.

NILC wins a decision from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in Andreiu v. Reno rejecting the government's claim that a provision of IIRIRA prohibits federal appellate courts from suspending a removal order while considering an appeal of the order. The ruling permits asylum applicants and others facing hardship to remain in the U.S. while their appeals are considered.

NILC and allies engage in administrative advocacy with SSA to revise their no-match letters, clarifying to employers that the letter makes no statement about employee's immigration status. This language has helped tens of thousands of workers across the nation keep their jobs.

NILC and co-counsel file a lawsuit in Singh v. Jutla, et al. under the Fair Labor Standards Act and California Labor Code on behalf of a worker from India whose employer called INS shortly after a settlement was reached for unpaid wages. Mr. Singh's employer had trafficked him into the U.S. (Two years later, a jury verdict is reached that awards Mr. Singh tens of thousands of dollars in damages.)

NILC is instrumental in educating policymakers about the need to create a path to legalization for immigrant youth brought to the U.S. as young children. This leads to the introduction of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act.

Immediately after the Supreme Court rules in Hoffman Plastic Compounds, Inc. v. NLRB that back pay under the National Labor Relations Act is not available to undocumented workers, employers begin to use the decision in a wide range of cases. NILC responds by establishing a project to assist plaintiff's lawyers in fighting these attacks on worker's rights.

NILC works with local unions, worker's centers, and national advocates to develop a comprehensive campaign to document the impact of the no-match letters and advocate for changes with SSA. The agency ultimately scales back its no-match program, citing the costs of administering it.

Enactment of the Farm Bill partially restores immigrant eligibility for food stamps. The restorations are projected to make food stamps available to approximately 400,000 immigrants.

NILC partners with local and regional allies to hold trainings throughout the country to educate organizers and advocates about the Hoffman decision and works closely with plaintiff-side employment lawyers to file amicus briefs in post-Hoffman cases to limit the impact of the Supreme Court's decision.

NILC provides support to New Mexico advocates in their efforts to pass a law allowing all immigrants, regardless of immigration status, to obtain driver's licenses. This law is considered a model for the country.

In Rivera v. Nibco, a language discrimination case, NILC and co-counsel win a favorable ruling from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upholding a district court protective order. The protective order prohibited the employer from questioning plaintiffs about their immigration status.

NILC conducts trainings and publishes educational materials to educate advocates about the impact of the employment eligibility verification program known as Basic Pilot, which was expanded nationwide at the end of the previous year. NILC also begins documenting the program's impact on workers.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita strike the Gulf Coast. In response to the devastation, NILC advocates for relief for immigrant survivors and helps create a response team to address the rise in worker exploitation and immigration raids in the New Orleans area. (The following year, NILC, the Advancement Project, and other allies help establish the New Orleans Worker's Center for Racial Justice.)

NILC plays a leading role in dispelling confusion across the country surrounding the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005's Medicaid citizenship verification requirement.

NILC organizes a national strategy meeting of immigrant and privacy advocates to minimize the impact of the recently-passed REAL ID Act on immigrant communities.

The Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) announces proposed regulations providing "safe harbor" guidance to employers on how to handle SSA no-match letters. NILC drafts model comments opposing this new rule, resulting in hundreds of organizations across the country voicing their opposition.

NILC leads a coalition of advocates to promote the need for improving the electronic employment eligibility verification system included in a proposed Senate comprehensive immigration reform bill. These improvements involve adding critical worker, due process, and privacy protections.

NILC and co-counsel obtain an injunction in AFL-CIO, et al. v. Chertoff against implementation of the DHS no-match "safe harbor" rule, which most likely would have resulted in the firing of many thousands of authorized workers.

NILC files an amicus brief in Aramark Facility Services v. Service Employees International Union, Local 1877, advancing the argument that no-match letters do not provide employers constructive knowledge that workers are undocumented. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals later upholds the arbitrator's award, finding that the employer did not have just cause to terminate the workers based solely on the no-match letters.

As a result of NILC's intensive advocacy efforts, SSI benefits are extended for humanitarian immigrants who would have seen their benefits expire under an old seven-year time limit for immigrants to receive these benefits.

NILC begins a strategic communications research project, convening focus groups and developing messages to promote the importance of immigrants' access to health care.

NILC responds to ICE raids impacting families and workers across the nation, and plays a lead role in convening the Los Angeles Raids Rapid Response Network immediately after a raid in Van Nuys, CA, during which over 150 workers were detained. NILC and co-counsel file National Lawyers Guild v. Chertoff to ensure detained workers have access to legal counsel.

After almost 13 years of dedicated advocacy, NILC and allies celebrate the enactment of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2009. The law includes provisions giving states the option to provide health care to many immigrant children and pregnant women through Medicaid and CHIP.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a lower court ruling denying nearly all of the government's motion to dissolve the long-standing Orantes injunction. After NILC and co-counsel spend nearly four years defending the injunction won back in 1982, the court ruling leaves in place enforceable provisions regarding immigration arrest, processing, and detention practices.

NILC and allies educate the new administration about SSA no-match letters. The federal court dismisses AFL-CIO, et al. v. Chertoff as moot once DHS rescinds its no-match rule.