Know Your Rights: Immigration, Advocacy and Education

ACRS promotes social justice and the well-being and empowerment of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other underserved communities – including immigrants, refugees, and American-born – by developing, providing and advocating for innovative, effective and efficient community-based multilingual and multicultural services such as: immigration assistance, behavioral health, youth development, employment and training.

Service Provided: Adjustment of Status, Family-based petitions.

Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS)

The Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance (ORIA) is part of the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, within the agency’s Economic Services Administration and Community Services Division. ORIA's goal is to help refugee and immigrant families with assistance, training and family services.

DHS Office (Refugee Immigrant Assistance)

Entre Hermanos provides programs to promote the health and well-being of the Latino Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and questioning community in a culturally appropriate environment through immigration consultation, disease prevention, education, support services, advocacy and community building.

Entre Hermanos

The DSHS Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance is partnering with community-based organizations to offer one-time housing assistance for recently arrived refugees and humanitarian immigrants in financial need. This program can help with housing-related costs, including rent, security deposits, utility payments and other approved fees.

Housing Stabilization Services Program

A Welcoming Ambassador from the King County Library System  can help an immigrant, refugee or any new member of the community find resources, information and services such as: immigration services, basic services, education, employment, religious connections, and more.

KCLS Welcoming Centers

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) services are designed to ensure refugees thrive in America with programs including: immigration and citizenship services, resettlement assistance, healthcare access, youth education, and more.

International Rescue Committee

Lutheran Community Services Northwest's programs equip refugees and immigrants with the skills, resources and support they need to live fulfilling lives. Programs include: legal services to gain legal immigration status, mental health counseling in different languages, helping immigrants learn English, find a place to live and work, gain citizenship, and become productive members in their Northwest communities.

Lutheran Community Services Northwest

Refugee & Immigrant Services Northwest (RISNW) offers their clients the help needed to move on a pathway to economic independence and successful integration into US society through multiple programs including: education & social services, employment, training, ESL, parent support, immigration services, interpretation and translations services and more.

RISNW

Washington State is one of many states receiving Refugee School Impact funds from the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement. RSI program’s goals are to promote academic performance and successful integration of eligible children through facilitating education access, and increasing school districts’ capacity to support children, youth, and families.

Refugee School Impact Program

The DSHS Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance’s Refugee Youth Mentoring program provides funding to match eligible youth, ages 18-24, with mentors who will support successful integration and help youth thrive. The program’s goals are to promote positive civic and social engagement and support individual educational and vocational advancement for eligible youth.

Refugee Youth Mentorship Program

Somali Community Services of Seattle (SCSS) aims to support community members in their journey toward self-sufficiency and improved quality of life. SCSS provides essential services including: Case Management & Referrals, Youth Programs, Senior Programs, Educational Courses and Workshops.

Somali Community Services of Seattle

St. James Immigrant Assistance (SJIA) staff and volunteers provide ESL tutoring, citizenship preparation tutoring, naturalization application assistance, refugee welcome and inclusion.

St. James Immigrant Assistance

The Unaccompanied Refugee Minors program provides care for federally referred children and youth who arrive in the United States without a parent or guardian. The program places minors in foster care with specially trained local families and provides culturally and linguistically appropriate social services.

UCCW

Under Equity and Civil Rights, the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction states that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that undocumented children and young adults have the same right to attend public primary and secondary schools as do U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

OSPI Immigrant Students' Rights to Attend Public School

In 2018, Brooklyn Defender Services and partners launched new videos documenting what to do when interacting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Titled "We Have Rights", the series of four animated films in seven languages are intended to help immigrant families know what to do when confronted by ICE in the most common situations. Brooklyn Defender Services (BDS) is a non-profit public defense office.
 

We Have Rights Video Series 

The National Immigration Law Center (NILC) is one of the leading advocacy organizations in the U.S. dedicated to advancing and defending the rights and opportunities of low-income immigrants and their families. NILC has created a set of cards which can be downloaded below that explain to law enforcement when an individual is exercising their legal rights.

National Immigration Law Center

NILC Safety Rights Card

Families seeking support may report an incident of hate or bias to the Chinese Information and Service Center (CISC), a community-based organization that has been serving immigrants and their families in the local area since 1972. All information is confidential and anonymous. CISC is a partner of the Coalition Against Hate & Bias, which is supported by the King County Office of Equity and Social Justice (OESJ). 

CISC Hate or Bias Reporting

Founded in 2019, Eastside For All is a nonprofit advocacy organization that grew out of the grassroots efforts of the Eastside Refugee and Immigrant Coalition’s (ERIC) and its nearly 20-year history.

Eastside for All Community Safety

Eastside For All is a member of the King County Coalition Against Hate and Bias. The Coalition is a community-led initiative to address hate and bias incidents by strengthening and networking communities who experience racist and bigoted treatment and all forms of oppression. 

Eastside for All Hate or Bias Reporting

Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC) was founded 35 years ago by the U.S. Catholic bishops to support a growing network of community and faith-based organizations working to meet the needs of immigrants seeking legal services.

Catholic Legal Immigration Network

Archdiocese of Seattle - Immigrant and Refugee Resources

The Immigrant Legal Resouce Center (ILRC) has downloadable cards to help people assert their rights and defend themselves in many situations, such as when ICE agents go to a home.

ILRC Rights Card

The Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN) is the largest immigrant justice network in Washington that convenes and cultivates a statewide coalition to protect and advance the power and rights of all immigrant and refugee communities. Resources available in seven languages.

WAISN Public Resouces

The WAISN Resource Finder is a database of resouces vetted for accessibility to immigrant community members in Washington State.

WAISN Resource Finder

United We Dream is the largest immigrant youth-led community in the country. They create welcoming spaces for young people – regardless of immigration status – to support, engage, and empower them to make their voice heard.  United We Dream puts undocumented immigrant youth in the driver’s seat.

United We Dream Resources

Eastside Legal Assistance Program (ELAP) is a nonprofit dedicated to working with people facing crises that need a legal solution. They provide communities education about their legal rights and work without fee to solve legal issues and provide resources for community members. To be eligible for ELAP services, individuals must live in King County and have an income that is less than 200% of the federal poverty level for their household size. ELAP provides free interpretation services.

Get Help from Eastside Legal Assistance Program

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project promotes justice, defends, and advances the rights of immigrants through direct legal services, systemic advocacy, and community education. Immigration related issues they provide assistance for include domestic violence, citizenship, asylum, deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) and detention and deportation.

Get Help from Northwest Immigrant Rights Project

Know Your Rights Information from Northwest Immigration Rights Project

If you or someone you know has received a notice from immigration court or have been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and need immigration legal services and cannot pay for them, the newly expanded Seattle-King County Immigrant Legal Defense Network may be able to help. To qualify for assistance, individuals must reside within the boundaries Seattle and have a household income below 200% of the federal poverty level.

Get help from Seattle Legal Defense Network

Legal Counsel for Youth and Children (LCYC) protects the interests and safety of youth in Washington by advancing their legal rights. In addition to direct services, LCYC offers an Immigrant Safety Plan for Youth and Children to empower immigrant parents and reduce childhood trauma, coordinated by Director of Legal Services. 

Legal Counsel for Youth and Children

Immigrant Safety Plan for Youth and Children

Search for an immigration lawyer using this tool provided by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).

AILA Immigration Lawyer Search

For almost 100 years, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. The ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project is dedicated to expanding and enforcing the civil liberties and civil rights of immigrants and to combating public and private discrimination against them.

ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project

Catholic Immigration Legal Services (CILS) provides quality immigration legal services to low-income residents of Washington State. CILS offices include both immigration staff attorneys and Department of Justice (DOJ) accredited representatives.

Phone: 206-328-6314

· Citizenship/naturalization (including fee and disability waivers)
· Adjustment of status (green cards) ·Green card replacements or renewals
· Family-based petitions
· Consular processing
 · Fiancé visa
 · Removal of conditions
 · DACA renewals
· Travel documents
· Employment authorization
· Parole in place
· Mock interviews
· Resource/referral
 · Community Outreach

Catholic Immigration Legal Service

Colectiva Legal del Pueblo provides a wide variety of direct legal services to fight deportations and keep families together including, but not limited to, free and low-cost legal representation, advocacy and community education.

Phone: 206-931-1514

· Help completing forms
· Filings with USCIS
· Representation at Asylum Interviews (Credible Fear Interviews, Reasonable Fear Interviews)
· Representation before the Immigration Court
· Representation before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA)
· Federal court appeals

Collectiva Legal del Pueblo

The International Families Justice Coalition (IFJC)  is committed to supporting low-income immigrants navigating the complex family law system in Washington State. 

International Families Justice Coalition

The Jewish Family Service (JFS) Immigration Legal Services provide assistance with legal services, including adjustment of status (such as green cards), naturalization, and family reunification applications.

Jewish Family Services

Eastside Legal Assistance Program (ELAP) is a nonprofit dedicated to working with people facing crises that need a legal solution. They provide communities education about their legal rights and work without fee to solve legal issues and provide resources for community members.

ELAP

The International Families Justice Coalition (IFJC)  is committed to supporting low-income immigrants navigating the complex family law system in Washington State. 

IFJC

The Jewish Family Service (JFS) Immigration Legal Services provide assistance with legal services, including adjustment of status (such as green cards), naturalization, and family reunification applications.

JFS

Kids In Need of Defense (KIND) provides attorneys at no cost to represent unaccompanied children through their immigration legal proceedings in collaboration with a large network of law firms, corporations, law school and bar associations.

KIND

Legal Counsel for Youth & Children (LCYC) partners with immigrant rights organizations and attorneys to support unaccompanied immigrant youth and young adults in applying for Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification. LCYC also offers an Immigrant Safety Plan for Youth and Children to empower immigrant parents.

LCYC

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project promotes justice, defends, and advances the rights of immigrants through direct legal services, systemic advocacy, and community education. Immigration related issues they provide assistance for include: domestic violence, citizenship, asylum, deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) and detention and deportation.

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project

ReWA offers help to refugees and immigrants who want assistance with the naturalization process by providing services in multiple languages to help clients complete naturalization application forms, a staff attorney to answer questions, classes and legal representation.

ReWA

The Ukranian Community Center of Washington (UCCW) provides affordable, quality legal representation for those in need with respect to immigration and nationality law. UCCW also provides support for Green Card applications, Employment Authorization Documents and other immigration services.

UCCW

The West African Community Council (WACC) offers free or low-cost legal representation in immigration matters, including defense from deportation. The WACC office is recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice to provide quality Immigration and Legal services to qualifying constituents across King County.

WACC

Through direct service provision, training, referrals, advocacy, and education, World Relief walks alongside the immigrant community members on the path to stable immigration status, providing the security, peace-of-mind and protection needed to flourish in the U.S.

World Relief