Types of Volunteer Opportunities

The Immigration Justice Campaign offers several different types of volunteer opportunities that require varying levels of experience and a variety of skill sets. See below for more details about each opportunity. If you are interested in volunteering with the Justice Campaign, please visit our Current Volunteer Opportunities page to apply for any opportunities that fit your skills, interests, and availability. *Note: Please only complete one application.

Prepare Parole Requests to Seek Release for Detained Asylum Seekers

Detained asylum seekers may be eligible to request that ICE release them on “parole” while their asylum cases are pending in immigration court. Parole requests are filed with ICE and consist of a letter with supporting documentation.
Location	Fully remote
Hours and Duration	10-15 hours to prepare parole request and up to 2 months of phone and email follow-up with deportation officer.
Types of Volunteers Needed	Attorneys
Volunteer Role	Represent a detained asylum seeker by preparing a request for release on parole with supporting documentation, submit the parole request to the individual’s deportation officer, and then continue to follow-up with the deportation officer to make sure the release request is decided.
Interpretation	Volunteers are encouraged to secure their own interpreters. In some circumstances, the Justice Campaign may be able to arrange for a volunteer interpreter to work with you.
Malpractice Coverage	Generally available through Immigration Justice Campaign’s referring partner agencies, with some exceptions.

Represent Immigrants Seeking Release on Bond

Some detainees are eligible for release on bond while their cases are pending in immigration court. Volunteers who take on bond cases will prepare bond motions with supporting documentation and argue the bond motion in immigration court.
Locations	Denver, Colorado - Denver Detention Facility Newark, New Jersey - Elizabeth Detention Center and Essex County Correctional Facility
Hours and Duration	25-50 hours over 2-4 weeks
Types of Volunteers Needed	Attorneys
Volunteer Role	Represent a detained immigrant in seeking release on bond. Meet with a detainee in person to gather information needed to draft a motion for release on bond. Gather documentation in support of the bond motion by collecting statements of the detainee’s friends and family members and/or other documentation. Draft the bond motion and file it with the immigration court. Prepare your client for the hearing and argue the motion in immigration court.
Interpretation/Translation	Volunteers are encouraged to secure their own interpreters. In some circumstances, the Justice Campaign may be able to arrange for a volunteer interpreter to work with you.
Malpractice Coverage	Generally available through Immigration Justice Campaign’s referring partner agencies, with some exceptions.

Remotely (Telephonically) Represent Immigrants Seeking Release on Bond

Many asylum seekers are eligible for release on bond while their cases are pending in immigration court. Government authorities often detain them in remote facilities far from available lawyers, especially near the southern border. Attorney volunteers who take on remote bond cases will communicate with their clients by phone, receive on the ground support for document and signature collection from our local partners, prepare motions to appear telephonically before the immigration court as well as a bond motion (with supporting documentation), and argue the bond motions before the immigration judge over the phone.
Locations	Fully remote - Detention Centers in El Paso, Texas and several of our other partner sites
Hours and Duration	25-50 hours over 2-4 weeks
Types of Volunteers Needed	Attorneys
Volunteer Role	Represent a detained asylum seeker in seeking release on bond pending their immigration court proceedings. Speak with your client by phone to gather information needed to draft a motion for release on bond. Note that communicating with a detained asylum seeker will often require some degree of persistence due to access to counsel barriers. Gather documentation in support of the bond motion by collecting statements of the detainee’s friends and family members and/or other documentation. Draft the bond motion as well as the motion to appear telephonically before the immigration court and file those motions. Prepare your client for the hearing and argue the motion in immigration court.
Interpretation/Translation	Volunteers are encouraged to secure their own interpreters. In some circumstances, the Justice Campaign may be able to arrange for a volunteer interpreter to work with you.
Malpractice Coverage	Generally available through Immigration Justice Campaign’s referring local partner organizations, with some exceptions.

Represent an Asylum Seeker in their Deportation Proceedings

Detained asylum seekers must present their claims for asylum before an immigration judge at a full hearing in immigration court. This is their request for relief from deportation. Asylum hearings are adversarial in nature and require presenting detailed oral testimony by the asylum applicant plus evidentiary submissions.
Locations	Denver, Colorado - Denver Detention Facility Newark, New Jersey - Elizabeth Detention Center and Essex County Correctional Facility Georgia and Louisiana - Stewart Detention Center, Irwin County Detention Center, Folkston ICE Processing Center, LaSalle ICE Processing Center *Note: If you live far from the detention center, there are ways to meet with your client by telephone or videoconference so that travel to the facility is required only 1 or 2 times. You can also file motions to appear telephonically at preliminary hearings (although not the final merits hearing).
Hours and Duration	50-150 hours over 3-4 months
Types of Volunteers Needed	Attorneys
Volunteer Role	Represent a detained asylum seeker in their asylum merits case. Meet with your client at the facility to understand their story and fear of persecution in their country of origin. (This work can be done remotely at some sites.) Assist client in preparing and filing asylum application and supporting documentation, including corroborating evidence and information about the conditions in their country of origin. Appear at final adversarial merits hearing before immigration judge and assist in presenting your client’s testimony and evidence in support of asylum.
Interpretation/Translation	Volunteers are encouraged to secure their own interpreters. In some circumstances, the Justice Campaign may be able to arrange for a volunteer interpreter to work with you.
Malpractice Coverage	Generally available through Immigration Justice Campaign’s referring partner agencies, with some exceptions.

Conduct Country Conditions Research for Pro Se Asylum Seekers

Asylum seekers must submit evidence of the conditions in their countries of origin that give rise to their fear of persecution. Because of their conditions of confinement, detained asylum seekers often do not have the resources to do this research.
Location	Fully remote
Hours and Duration	10-15 hours over 2-4 weeks
Types of Volunteers Needed	Attorneys, Law Students, Paralegals
Volunteer Role	Conduct basic internet research and compile news articles, reports from government agencies (e.g., U.S. State Department), non-profits (e.g., Human Rights Watch), and other sources to substantiate an asylum applicant’s claim of fear of persecution if they return to their country of origin. Country condition packets are often hundreds of pages in length. Print copies of the country conditions packet and mail to the detainee appearing pro se.
Malpractice Coverage	Generally available through Immigration Justice Campaign’s referring partner agencies, with some exceptions.

Provide Interpretation/Translation Services

For a variety of our opportunities above, assist in the provision of legal services by providing in-person or telephonic interpretation for volunteer attorneys or provide English translation of documents.
Locations	In person or remote - Dilley, Texas - South Texas Family Residential Center In person or remote - partner sites as follows: Denver, Colorado - Denver Detention Facility Newark, New Jersey - Elizabeth Detention Center and Essex County Correctional Facility Georgia and Louisiana - Stewart Detention Center, Irwin County Detention Center, Folkston ICE Processing Center, LaSalle ICE Processing Center
Hours and Duration	Remote Bond Team - 10-15 hours for 2-3 weeks after being paired with attorney in need of interpretation assistance. Other opportunities can vary widely depending on your availability. Some translations can be done in 30 minutes and some will take 10 hours. Some volunteers can offer an hour or two of telephonic interpretation while some prefer to sign on for an entire bond or merits case, working with the same pro bono attorney and client throughout the process. In person interpretation also includes travel time to the detention center and the wait time once you have arrived.
Types of Volunteers Needed	Interpreters/Translators (No professional certificates are required. We only need to know that you are fully bilingual and have a letter of recommendation.)
Volunteer Role	Remote Bond Team: Provide interpretation assistance over the phone for attorneys working on remote bond representation. Phone calls would be with the detainee seeking release on bond and/or with other individuals (e.g., friends or family members) providing statements in support of the bond application. Potentially provide written translation of documents for attorneys. Dilley, TX – Remote Telephonic Interpretation: Provide interpretation assistance for volunteers working at the South Texas Family Residential Center who are assisting mothers and children fleeing violence in their countries of origin. Interpreters are needed during meetings to prepare mothers for their credible fear interviews before the asylum office. Dilley, TX – In-person Interpretation: Travel to Dilley and work in the Visitation Trailer with the On-the-Ground Legal Service Team to lead intake talks, credible fear interview talks, assist women with filling out the initial intake paperwork, assist with scanning and data entry as needed, and interpret for non-Spanish speaking attorney volunteers. Partner Sites: Provide interpretation in-person and/or by phone for attorneys working on bond or merits cases. Translations are needed for case work at all sites. There is a specific Certificate of Translation that is required from the Immigration Courts.

Provide a Mental Health Evaluation

Perform a telephonic or in-person psychological evaluation for an immigrant detainee. Write up the evaluation into the form of an expert declaration, which will then be submitted to either an immigration court or government agency to support some form of relief for the detainee.
Locations	In person or remote - Denver, Colorado - Denver Detention Facility In person or remote - Dilley, Texas - South Texas Family Residential Center In person or remote - Newark, New Jersey - Elizabeth Detention Center and Essex County Correctional Facility In person or remote (including video-conferencing ability) – Georgia and Louisiana - Stewart Detention Center, Irwin County Detention Center, Folkston ICE Processing Center, LaSalle ICE Processing Center
Types of Volunteers Needed	Mental health professionals
Volunteer Role	Either visit in person or speak by phone/video-conference (as available) with a detained immigrant who has been identified by our local partners or volunteer attorneys as experiencing mental health-related concerns. Conduct professional mental health evaluation to determine psychological condition of the individual and potential causes. Compile observations and findings into an expert declaration, which will then be submitted in support of some form of relief for the detainee—e.g., a request for release from the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or an asylum application before the immigration court. Must be available to testify in Court telephonically in the event that the Court requires oral testimony beyond the written declaration.

Provide a Forensic Medical Examination

Perform a telephonic (and documents-based), skype, or in-person forensic medical examination for an immigrant detainee. Write up the evaluation in the form of an expert declaration, which will be submitted to either an immigration court or government agency to support some form of relief for the detainee.
Locations	In person or remote - Denver, Colorado - Denver Detention Facility In person or remote - Dilley, Texas - South Texas Family Residential Center In person or remote - Newark, New Jersey - Elizabeth Detention Center and Essex County Correctional Facility In person or remote (including video-conferencing ability) – Georgia and Louisiana - Stewart Detention Center, Irwin County Detention Center, Folkston ICE Processing Center, LaSalle ICE Processing Center
Types of Volunteers Needed	Physicians
Volunteer Role	Either visit in person or speak by phone/video-conference (as available) with a detained immigrant who has been identified by our local partners or volunteer attorneys as having physical trauma that is related to their immigration case. Conduct forensic medical examination to determine the physical condition of the individual and potential causes. Compile observations and findings into an expert declaration, which will be submitted in support of some form of relief for the detainee—e.g., a request for release from the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or an asylum application before the immigration court. Must be available to testify in Court telephonically in the event that the Court requires oral testimony beyond the written declaration.

Represent An Asylum Seeker in their Board of Immigration Appeals Case

If a detained asylum seeker loses his or her case before the Immigration Judge, they have an opportunity to appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals. Oral argument is not required—decisions are issued based on the record and appeal briefs. This is a fully remote volunteer opportunity.
Locations	Fully remote Our clients are detained in the following locations (which you do NOT need to visit for this volunteer opportunity): Denver, Colorado - Denver Detention Facility Newark, New Jersey - Elizabeth Detention Center and Essex County Correctional Facility Georgia and Louisiana - Stewart Detention Center, Irwin County Detention Center, Folkston ICE Processing Center, LaSalle ICE Processing Center
Hours and Duration	25-50 hours over the course of several months After the Notice of Appeal form is filed, it takes 4-8 weeks for the BIA to issue a briefing schedule. You are given approx. 3 weeks to submit the brief (one extension is available) It may take the BIA several months to issue a decision
Types of Volunteers Needed	Attorneys
Volunteer Role	Represent a detained asylum seeker in their appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals. Volunteers will need to review the record of proceedings and transcript for their client’s case. Volunteers will be expected to file a Notice of Appeal (EOIR-27) within 30 days of the Immigration Judge’s adverse decision and timely submit an appeal brief according to the schedule subsequently assigned by the Board of Immigration Appeals.
Interpretation/Translation	Although volunteers do not need to meet with their detained clients, they are asked to make arrangements to call their clients at the start of the representation to introduce themselves and describe the appeals process, answering any questions the clients may have. Volunteers are encouraged to secure their own interpreters for this phone call, if needed. In some circumstances, the Justice Campaign may be able to arrange for a volunteer interpreter to participate in this call with you.
Malpractice Coverage	Generally available through Immigration Justice Campaign’s referring partner agencies, with some exceptions.

Respond to Hotline Calls

Our partner, Freedom for Immigrants, runs a hotline for people in immigration detention as well as family members seeking support for loved ones in detention. Hotline volunteers monitor detention conditions, report abuses and request support on behalf of callers.
Locations	Fully remote
Hours and Duration	You will sign up for 2-hour shifts that take place M-F between 6am-8pm PST
Types of Volunteers Needed	Preference given to volunteers who speak a second language
Volunteer Role	Respond to calls to the hotline from people in immigration detention as well as family members seeking support for their loved ones in detention. FFI needs people who are able to project their empathy and understanding over the phone in order to calm and reassure people in detention.
Interpretation/Translation	Preference given to volunteers who speak a second language
Malpractice Coverage	N/A

Visitation

Our partner, Freedom for Immigrants, is connected to the largest network of visitor volunteers in the US with more than 4,000 people making visits each week. This is a crucial way that you can provide direct support to people in immigration detention and work with them to expose human rights violations and abuses. COVID-19 Update: During the COVID-19 pandemic, visitation groups are still continuing the critical work of supporting people in ICE detention and reporting human rights violations. Volunteers can communicate with people inside over the phone and/or by mail, and in some facilities electronic messaging and video visitation is possible.
Locations	Multiple locations across the country
Hours and Duration	Will vary by location/facilitating visitation group
Types of Volunteers Needed	Volunteers who live within driving distance of a detention center
Volunteer Role	FFI will connect you with a local visitation network through which you will visit, write to, or otherwise communicate with people being held in immigration detention.
Interpretation/Translation	N/A
Malpractice Coverage	N/A

Post-Release Support

Our partner, Freedom for Immigrants, needs volunteers to join a growing grassroots movement of post-release community care to demonstrate that we are far more capable of providing refuge to immigrants than ICE and corporate prison contractors.
Locations	In person or remote
Hours and Duration	Flexible
Types of Volunteers Needed	Non-attorney
Volunteer Role	Volunteers for this opportunity will support those coming out of detention with everyday tasks such as accessing food, shelter, healthcare, transportation, a lawyer, enrolling in English class, purchasing cell phone/ phone plan, bureaucratic errands, community integration, direct advocacy, and offer psycho-social support.
Interpretation/Translation	Languages other than English helpful but not necessary
Malpractice Coverage	N/A

Spend 1 Week at a Detention Center

Spend one week in Dilley, Texas at the largest family detention center in the country. Volunteers spending a week “on the ground” at a detention center will be received and supervised by our partner organizations’ local staff members.
Locations	Dilley, Texas - South Texas Family Residential Center (with Proyecto Dilley)
Hours and Duration	1 week, from Sunday afternoon to Friday evening; 12- to 15-hour days
Volunteer Role	Volunteers are critical to providing services to the thousands of women and children detained at this facility after fleeing persecution in their countries of origin. Volunteers help screen the families detained at Dilley and prepare them for their credible and reasonable fear interviews. The volunteer work is extremely demanding. Volunteers will spend long hours in the detention center’s visitation trailer each day. Work varies depending on the needs each week. Volunteers need to report to the on-the-ground staff and be willing to follow their direction and take on a variety of tasks ranging from data entry and scanning to preparing clients for credible and reasonable fear interviews. Flexibility is a must. For more information, see our Proyecto Dilley page.
Types of Volunteers Needed	Attorneys, Law Students, Paralegals, Interpreters, Mental Health Professionals, and Licensed Clinical Social Workers
Interpretation/Translation	The vast majority of the clients we see in Dilley are Spanish speakers, and we therefore require that almost all of our volunteers speak Spanish. We do have limited spots for non-Spanish speakers, but because they fill up quickly, we may need to schedule your volunteer week farther into the future. We also ask that volunteers who do not speak Spanish secure their own interpretation for the week. This could mean inviting a Spanish-speaking friend or colleague to accompany you or to be available to interpret by phone for various blocks of time throughout the week.
Malpractice Coverage	Generally available through Immigration Justice Campaign’s referring partner agencies, with some exceptions.

Proyecto Dilley

Six Proyecto Dilley volunteers report from their week on-the-ground with the Proyecto Dilley Pro Bono Project

Where We Work

Denver Contract Detention Facility

3130 Oakland St
Aurora, CO 80010
Phone Number: (303) 361-6612

South Texas Family Residential Center

1925 TX-85
Dilley, TX 78017
Phone Number: (830) 378-6500

Stewart Detention Center

146 Cca Rd
Lumpkin, GA 31815
Phone Number: (229) 838-5000

Elizabeth Detention Center

625 Evans St
Elizabeth, NJ 7201
Phone Number: (908) 352-3776

El Paso, TX

Otay Mesa Detention Center

7488 Calzada De La Fuente,
San Diego, CA 92154
Phone: (619) 671-8724

Port Isabel Service Processing Center

27991 Buena Vista Blvd,
Los Fresnos, TX 78566
Phone: (956) 547-1700

El Valle Detention Facility

1800 Industrial Drive
Raymondville, TX, 78580
Phone: (956) 689-9999

Folkston ICE Processing Center

3026 Highway 252 E,
Folkston, GA 31537
Phone: (912) 496-6905

Irwin County Detention Center

132 Cotton Dr,
Ocilla, GA 31774
Phone: (229) 468-4121

Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center

1133 Hampton Dupre Rd,
Pine Prairie, LA 70576
Phone: (337) 599-2198

LaSalle ICE Processing Center

830 Pinehill Rd,
Jena, LA 71342
Phone: (318) 992-7800

The American Immigration Council warns non-citizens to guard against spoofing phone calls from ill-intended individuals seeking to create panic among our immigrant community. To learn more, please go to scam.immigrationcouncil.org.

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