Become a Justice Fellow for Unaccompanied Children
The immigration system is designed to keep unaccompanied immigrant kids out of the country, denying their legal and human rights. Without guaranteed representation, they are forced to defend their case to stay in the U.S. all alone – no matter how young they are. Acacia is partnering with Immigrant Justice Corps to recruit Fellows to help defend unaccompanied children who likely would not have an attorney otherwise. Fellowship applications open twice per year, sign up for updates!
Why we need lawyers like you:
258,000
There are currently 258,000 unaccompanied children with pending immigration cases.
7x
With legal representation, unaccompanied kids are 7x more likely to receive an outcome to remain in the United States than those without an attorney.
1 in 78
To achieve universal representation, every free or low cost immigration lawyer in America would need to represent 78 children each.
Claudia Cuesta Garibay,
2023 Fellow
The current system works against immigrants, and more resources such as access to legal representation must be available. Legal representation increases a person’s likelihood of success in court.
Marshawn Young,
2023 Fellow
My participation in the IJC Fellowship will allow me to get the necessary mentorship from seasoned attorneys to tackle complex immigration matters.
J.J. Mulligan Sepúlveda,
alumnus, 2015 Fellow
One of the most fascinating things about working with youth is that they are at the beginning of their lives. There are people I’m still in touch with now and today they’re seniors in college. You build a connection. They’re like family.
Ready to begin a career representing unaccompanied children? Outside the annual Immigrant Justice Corps Justice Fellowship, there are many more career opportunities available year-round. Explore the amazing organizations in the Unaccompanied Children Program, or sign up to learn more about opportunities near you.