Our office is recognized and accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) to provide immigration services, and we have two BIA-Accredited representatives and an immigration attorney on staff. We are a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), the National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project’s Community of Practice (NIWAP), ASISTA Immigrant Assistance and the Gulf Coast Immigrant Advocate Network (GCIAN). We receive federal funding disseminated by the Mississippi Department of Health to provide pro bono legal and case management services to immigrant survivors of family-based violence.

The majority of our cases are humanitarian-based, and we prioritize helping immigrant survivors who have faced persecution, child abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, or other violent crimes, to obtain lawful immigration status. Our legal staff provides limited direct legal representation in immigration court proceedings and submits immigration applications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for those who qualify for an immigration benefit under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) based on their status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking or human trafficking who cooperated with law enforcement; a victim of battery or extreme cruelty by a U.S. Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident spouse or parent; or a child of abuse, abandonment, or neglect by one or both parents. Additionally, at El Pueblo, we believe all people should be treated justly, with respect and dignity. Detained immigrants with mental health issues face insurmountable barriers without the appropriate representation and assistance. Through generous funding from ACACIA, El Pueblo’s contract attorney Sophie Woodruff and her team represent people with severe mental health issues who are detained at LaSalle and Oakdale immigration detention centers.  We are very grateful and proud of Sophie for this much-needed work and commitment to this vulnerable population.