AILA Presents the Immigrant Justice Corps with the Robert E. Juceam Founders Award

Washington, DC - The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) recognizes the Immigrant Justice Corps with the Robert E. Juceam Founders Award, which is given from time to time to the person or entity having the most substantial impact on the field of immigration law or policy.

The Immigrant Justice Corps (IJC) was nominated in recognition of “its substantial impact on the field of immigration law through its recruiting, training, and mentoring of the next generation of legal advocates dedicated to lifelong service to immigrant justice.” Launched in 2014 by the late Judge Robert A. Katzmann, IJC “remains the nation’s first and only fellowship program exclusively dedicated to expanding access to high-quality legal representation for immigrants who cannot afford counsel.”

The nomination underscores the ways in which the IJC “continues to advance Judge Katzmann’s vision by expanding access to high-quality representation while cultivating a new generation of advocates whose careers will sustain and multiply this impact for years to come. Each year, IJC recruits, trains, and supports between 25 to 100 recent law school and college graduates, placing them with community-based organizations, law school clinics, and legal service providers across the country…IJC has trained over 500 lawyers and advocates and partnered with more than 100 organizations across 30 states, significantly expanding the capacity of the immigration legal field at a time when many providers face shrinking resources and rising demand. IJC Fellows deliver free, high-quality legal representation to thousands of immigrants annually, helping individuals challenge deportation, secure lawful status, and pursue citizenship, while also equipping communities with critical legal knowledge and support.”

The contributions of IJC reach far beyond the organization itself as those trained have “impacted the lives of more than 135,000 people, and its Fellows maintain a 90% success rate in closed cases. At a time when many individuals face detention and complex proceedings without counsel, these outcomes represent not only legal success, but the preservation of due process and human dignity.”

IJC Fellows have contributed to landmark cases such as Matter of J.M. Acosta, Brathwaite v. Garland, Ozurumba v. Bondi and more. “Taken together, these victories demonstrate the extraordinary caliber of IJC Fellows and the enduring impact of their advocacy on behalf of immigrants who would otherwise face removal without counsel.” But, no less important is the fact that “nine out of ten of its graduates remain in the immigration field, continuing to change the lives of thousands of immigrants each year through direct representation, advocacy, and thought leadership. In doing so, IJC is building a durable pipeline of leaders committed to strengthening the legal system itself.”