In February 2013, the National Immigration Law Center Board of Directors established an affiliate organization, the NILC Immigrant Justice Fund (NILC IJF), to advocate more directly for federal immigration reform policies that provide a road to U.S. citizenship for all aspiring citizens and make it possible for them to fully integrate into the social, economic, and political fabric of the United States. For over 35 years, the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) has been widely recognized as a national leader in the struggle to secure access to vital safety-net programs, economic and educational opportunities, and fair treatment under the law for low-income immigrants.

NILC IJF relies upon its extensive connections with advocacy groups nationwide, combined with its staff’s federal advocacy experience, expertise on issues that affect immigrants’ daily lives, and distinctive use of policy, legal and communications strategies, to ensure that immigrants’ rights advocates have a powerful impact on the shape and nature of immigration reform policies that come under consideration in the U.S. Congress.

Since its inception, NILC IJF has played an integral role in national efforts to:

• promote a broad and humane overhaul of the nation’s immigration systems

• amplify the need for reforms of the nation’s immigration enforcement policies so they protect civil and human rights

NILC Immigrant Justice Fund was incorporated in February 2013. It is exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) and corresponding provisions of state law.