The Immigrant Legal Center (ILC) provides legal services, education, and advocacy to immigrants in Nebraska and Iowa. Originally named Justice For Our Neighbors-Nebraska (JFON-NE), they have been assisting immigrants of the Metro area since 1999. They have seventeen full-time attorneys on call and have a case success rate of 94%. Their headquarters are in Omaha, but they also have centers in eight cities in Nebraska as well as a location in Council Bluffs. 

There are only sixty immigration courts in the US, with Omaha being one of the few Midwest cities to have one; this highlights the importance that the ILC brings to helping to helping those who just want to live in this country and be safe. We have seen a steady decline in immigration rates since 2008, not helped at all by the global pandemic limiting how many people were allowed to travel between countries. The ILC is there to make sure that all those who do manage to make it here are taken care of and given their full legal rights.

One of their many goals is education. ILC not only helps their clients understand the complex immigration system, but they also provide speakers for educational presentations at churches and community groups, focusing on immigrant rights, U-Visa and VAWA (for those who have been victims of crime), and the rights of immigrant minors. ILC is also focused on legislation that can affect immigrants in the area, and provide technical support and analysis, as well as state and federal testimony.

They provide legal services to help with Asylum seeking, which is split into Affirmative and Defensive depending on whether they are in danger of being removed from the US; child services, as well as Deferred Action For Child Arrivals (DACA); and to help victims of violence/crime such as domestic violence or human trafficking by helping with U-Visas, T-Visas, and VAWA Petitions.

As the ILC says, “All people deserve compassion — it’s about our shared humanity. No matter where we were born, we are all human beings, and we are all entitled to the same respect. We believe that our country’s approach to immigration should not tear families apart or deny people basic assistance.”

ILC will be hosting its annual Food Truck World Tour fundraiser on September 25th. It will be in Stinson Park at Aksarben Village on September 25th, from 3:30PM-6:30PM, and have food trucks from all over Omaha. Tickets are $75, $15 for children 12 and under, and opportunities for organizations to sponsor the event. There will be food, music, and live entertainment for all guests.

If you have a desire to work with ILC, they are on the look-out for access specialists, family-based attorneys, legal assistants, paralegal DOJ reps, immigration social workers, and receptionists. If you wish to donate to their organization, you can go to immigrantlc.org/donation-landing-page/. You can also consider a Charitable IRA Rollover (donating stocks to charity), or get involved in a corporate matching donation.

For more information about the organization, you can go to their website at www.immigrantlc.org.