Protecting Access to Immigration Justice in the East Bay

Hundreds of East Bay families are at risk of losing access to trusted immigration legal representation

Across the East Bay, refugees and immigrants are navigating an increasingly complex immigration system at the same time that affordable legal services are becoming harder to access.

Families who came to the United States through lawful humanitarian pathways are facing more rigorous application reviews, expanded documentation requirements, heightened scrutiny, and prolonged processing times. For someone trying to secure work authorization, reunite with family, adjust their immigration status, or pursue citizenship, navigating these requirements without qualified legal assistance can have profound consequences. Yet immigration law does not guarantee a right to legal representation, and the cost of hiring a private attorney can put quality legal assistance beyond the reach of many low-income families.  

At the same time, the nonprofit organizations families depend on for affordable immigration legal services are facing significant reductions in public funding. IRC Oakland is confronting an immediate funding gap that could jeopardize experienced legal positions and disrupt representation for clients with active immigration cases and deadlines that cannot simply be postponed. 

IRC Oakland is seeking emergency donations to preserve this critical legal capacity and ensure refugee and immigrant families throughout the East Bay continue to have access to trusted, affordable immigration legal services. 

Donate today to retain key staff

Why IRC Oakland

For more than 25 years, IRC Oakland has been a trusted partner to refugees and immigrants rebuilding their lives in the East Bay. Since opening in 2000, the office has welcomed more than 7,400 newcomers, providing support that extends from initial resettlement to employment, housing, mental health and community wellness, financial capability, and immigration legal services. 

What distinguishes IRC Oakland's legal services is that clients are not navigating the immigration system in isolation. Legal stability is deeply connected to a family's ability to work, maintain housing, reunite with loved ones, recover from displacement, and build long-term economic security. IRC's Immigration Legal Services team therefore works within a broader network of services designed to help families address these interconnected needs.

A client seeking help with an immigration application may also need employment assistance, financial coaching, housing support, mental health services, or help understanding other systems in their new community. IRC can connect families with these resources through one trusted organization, creating a more comprehensive pathway toward stability and self-sufficiency. 

This combination of specialized immigration legal expertise, decades of experience serving newcomers, culturally responsive services, and integrated wraparound support makes IRC Oakland particularly well positioned to serve East Bay families facing complex immigration challenges.

Experienced legal professionals families can trust

IRC Oakland's Immigration Legal Services team includes two immigration attorneys and two U.S. Department of Justice Accredited Representatives who provide specialized legal assistance to low-income refugees, immigrants, humanitarian entrants, lawful permanent residents, asylees, and Special Immigrant Visa holders throughout Alameda County and neighboring communities.  

DOJ Accredited Representatives play an especially important role in expanding access to immigration justice. These federally authorized nonprofit professionals are trained to prepare immigration applications, communicate with federal immigration agencies, and represent clients through complex legal processes. For families who cannot afford private representation, an Accredited Representative may be their only accessible source of qualified legal advocacy. 

That expertise has become increasingly important as cases require greater preparation and review. IRC's legal team conducts detailed screenings, obtains immigration records when necessary through Freedom of Information Act requests, reviews clients' immigration and personal histories, and works to ensure applications submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services are accurate, complete, and ethically sound. 

The impact is already significant

Every year, IRC Oakland's Immigration Legal Services team provides substantial legal assistance and community education across the East Bay, including:

In FY2026 alone, the team provided direct legal services to more than 500 immigrant and refugee clients, while demand continued to exceed available capacity. 

Services include individualized legal consultations, adjustment of status applications, naturalization and citizenship assistance, family reunification petitions, work authorization, USCIS representation, and Know Your Rights education. Outreach prioritizes families experiencing language barriers, financial hardship, trauma, and limited access to reliable legal information. 

Losing legal capacity means losing more than a staff position

The urgency of this funding gap is particularly significant because immigration cases cannot simply be paused when funding ends.

DOJ accreditation belongs to the individual representative rather than the organization. If an Accredited Representative leaves because IRC can no longer sustain their position, clients on that person's caseload can lose their representative while their immigration matters are still underway. Those cases may include deadlines and legal requirements that continue regardless of whether nonprofit funding is available. 

Replacing that expertise is also not immediate. The concept note identifies significant delays in the federal accreditation process, making it difficult to quickly credential new representatives if experienced staff are lost. 

For IRC Oakland, preserving existing legal capacity is therefore not simply about maintaining a program. It is about maintaining continuity of representation for people who are already relying on IRC to help navigate consequential legal processes.

Legal representation can change the trajectory of a family's life

The impact of this work extends well beyond completing an immigration application.

When Abdul arrived in the United States after being evacuated from Afghanistan at just 14 years old, he entered foster care in the Bay Area and experienced multiple placements. IRC Oakland's legal team remained connected to him throughout those transitions, coordinated with county officials, conducted regular wellness check-ins, and worked across IRC programs and community partners to address needs beyond his immigration case. 

When Abdul's father and siblings were later admitted to the United States, IRC advocated for family reunification while continuing to support his pathway toward permanent legal status. Today, he has graduated from high school and is living with his family. 

His experience illustrates IRC Oakland's broader approach: legal representation is not treated as a single transaction. It is one part of helping newcomers establish the stability, security, and foundation they need to build their lives in the East Bay.

Help preserve immigration legal services in the East Bay

IRC Oakland has already secured 75% of the operating budget needed for its Immigration Legal Services team for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2026.

Now, $220,000 is needed to close the remaining 25% gap, equivalent to approximately $18,333 per month, and sustain the team without disruption. 

Philanthropic investment will help IRC Oakland:

Invest in justice. Invest in families.

Support from our East Bay neighbors will help preserve a trusted immigration legal resource at a moment when East Bay families need it most.

By sustaining IRC Oakland's Immigration Legal Services team, donors can help ensure that refugees and immigrants do not have to navigate complicated, consequential legal processes alone, and that families continue to have access to experienced professionals who understand both the immigration system and the broader challenges of rebuilding a life in a new community. 

Donate today 

To learn more or support IRC Oakland's Immigration Legal Services, contact Kelsey Eaton, Development Director, at kelsey.eaton@rescue.org.