ISLA: Immigration Services and Legal Advocacy

Immigration Services and Legal Advocacy (ISLA) is a legal services organization that defends the rights of our immigrant communities and advocates for just and humane immigration policy.

Immigrants in the United States are not entitled to an attorney in their removal proceedings. Instead, if they cannot afford an attorney, they are forced to present their legal cases before an immigration judge on their own. This typically takes place in a foreign language and against a trained attorney representing the government. In an attempt to even the playing field, ISLA attorneys visit detained immigrants the detention centers in Louisiana on a weekly basis and provide pro bono representation under a universal representation model before the Immigration Court. Through this service, ISLA ensures that detained immigrants' due process rights are protected and that our clients do not have to attend these hearings and present their cases on their own.

Our justice system's core principle is that of due process, where everyone has a fair and meaningful opportunity to be heard. We look forward to the day when no immigrant has to appear before an immigration court without a representative.

Testimonials

I have had the privilege to aid ISLA with my volunteer translation services for several asylum cases, so I know firsthand about some of the very complicated, often incredibly sad, and sometimes even precedent-setting cases they take on. I have kept in touch and followed along with some of their clients' paths after their releases, and I cannot tell you how thankful they are for everyone at ISLA and how much their lives have been changed because of the services ISLA has provided. This immigration firm is doing honest work quite literally, often saving people's lives - they do it thoroughly and professionally but also with great care for the human experience - Sonya Eugene