Hundreds of Sacramento families could lose access to trusted immigration legal representation

Sacramento is home to thousands of refugees, immigrants, and humanitarian entrants who have come to the region seeking safety and the opportunity to rebuild their lives. But today, many of these families are navigating increasingly complex immigration processes at the same time that funding for affordable nonprofit legal services is shrinking.

For families seeking work authorization, permanent legal status, citizenship, or reunification with loved ones, access to qualified legal guidance can be life-changing. Immigration law does not guarantee a right to legal representation, and hiring a private immigration attorney can cost thousands of dollars, putting legal assistance beyond the reach of many low-income families. 

At the very moment this support is most needed, IRC Sacramento faces a significant funding gap. Without immediate philanthropic investment, the program risks losing experienced legal professionals and reducing its capacity to serve the community, putting approximately 350 active cases at risk of disruption. In FY2025 alone, IRC Sacramento's Immigration Legal Services team served more than 1,200 immigration clients, and demand continues to exceed available capacity. 

IRC Sacramento is seeking $360,000 from community members to sustain its Immigration Legal Services team for a full 12 months and preserve access to trusted, affordable legal assistance throughout the Sacramento region. 

Donate to sustain legal support for IRC clients

Why IRC Sacramento

IRC Sacramento has deep experience helping newcomers navigate not only the immigration system, but the many challenges involved in establishing a new life in the United States.

Since 2021, IRC Sacramento's Immigration Department has served more than 7,500 individuals and families. Through IRC's broader programs, newcomers can access support with housing, employment, mental health and community wellness, and immigration legal services, helping families move from immediate stability toward long-term self-sufficiency. 

This comprehensive model is especially important because immigration challenges rarely exist in isolation. A family waiting for work authorization may also be struggling to find stable employment. A newly arrived refugee navigating an immigration application may need interpretation, housing assistance, or support recovering from displacement and trauma. Someone pursuing permanent residency or citizenship may simultaneously be working toward financial stability and greater independence.

At IRC Sacramento, families can receive these services through one trusted organization. Immigration Legal Services are integrated with IRC's employment, housing, mental health and community wellness, and financial capability programs so clients can receive coordinated support as they rebuild their lives. 

This combination of specialized immigration legal expertise, culturally responsive services, and comprehensive support for newcomer families positions IRC Sacramento to meet needs that extend far beyond a single legal application.

Preserving legal expertise that cannot easily be replaced

One of the most urgent challenges facing IRC Sacramento is protecting its existing legal expertise.

A cornerstone of affordable nonprofit immigration legal services is the U.S. Department of Justice Accredited Representative program. DOJ Accredited Representatives are federally authorized professionals who are specially trained to prepare immigration applications, communicate with federal immigration agencies, and represent clients through complex legal processes. For many low-income families who cannot afford a private attorney, an Accredited Representative may be their only accessible source of qualified legal advocacy. 

Importantly, DOJ accreditation belongs to the individual representative, not the organization. If an Accredited Representative leaves because IRC can no longer fund their position, clients on that person's caseload can lose their representative in the middle of an active immigration matter, even when filing deadlines are approaching. 

The concept note also identifies significant delays in the federal accreditation process. As a result, IRC Sacramento cannot assume that an experienced representative who leaves can simply be replaced with a newly accredited staff member. Without additional funding, the team could drop to a single legal representative when current public funding expires. 

Philanthropic support today therefore does more than preserve positions. It protects specialized legal capacity and continuity of representation for families who are already depending on IRC.

A trusted legal team serving the Sacramento community

IRC Sacramento provides culturally responsive, trauma-informed immigration legal services designed around the needs and experiences of newcomers.

The program serves low-income refugees, immigrants, humanitarian entrants, lawful permanent residents, asylees, and Special Immigrant Visa holders throughout Sacramento County and neighboring communities. Special attention is given to families experiencing language barriers, financial hardship, trauma, and limited access to reliable legal information. 

Services include:

As immigration cases have become more complex, the legal team is also undertaking increasingly intensive case preparation. This includes obtaining immigration records through Freedom of Information Act requests, reviewing clients' immigration and personal histories, and working to ensure applications are accurate, complete, and ethically sound before submission to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 

The next 12 months: hundreds of families served

With sustained funding, IRC Sacramento's Immigration Legal Services program aims to maintain a team of three legal representatives, one program manager, and one legal assistant. 

Over the next 12 months, the program aims to provide:

Behind each of these numbers is an individual or family working toward greater stability: a parent trying to reunite with a loved one, a refugee seeking permanent status, a worker who needs employment authorization, or a longtime community member preparing to become a U.S. citizen.

Legal stability creates a foundation for a family's future

For Amina, an Afghan refugee and mother of two, navigating the immigration system after arriving in Sacramento felt overwhelming. IRC Sacramento helped ensure she did not have to navigate the process alone.

IRC's legal team supported Amina through adjustment of status and naturalization while coordinating interpretation and connecting her family with employment and wellness services. Within 18 months of beginning her case, Amina became a lawful permanent resident and secured stable employment. Today, her children are thriving in school as the family continues building its future in Sacramento. 

Her experience demonstrates why IRC's integrated approach matters. Immigration legal services can provide the legal foundation that allows families to pursue employment, stability, family unity, and long-term belonging in their communities.

Help sustain immigration legal services in Sacramento

IRC Sacramento is seeking $360,000 in philanthropic investment to sustain its Immigration Legal Services team for a full 12 months, supplementing existing state government and philanthropic funding. 

This investment will help:

Invest in Legal Stability. Invest in Community.

A $360,000 investment will help sustain a trusted legal resource for refugee and immigrant families throughout the Sacramento region for the next 12 months.

By supporting IRC Sacramento's Immigration Legal Services team, donors can help preserve representation for hundreds of active immigration cases, sustain specialized legal expertise, expand access to Know Your Rights education, and ensure that families can continue turning to a trusted organization as they navigate consequential immigration processes. 

Donate to sustain legal support for IRC clients

To learn more about supporting IRC Sacramento's Immigration Legal Services, contact Jocelle Burdett, Development Manager, IRC Sacramento, at jocelle.burdett@rescue.org