For nearly 30 years, the Tahirih Justice Center has provided free legal and social services to more than 36,000 immigrant survivors of gender-based violence. Every day, survivors navigating abuse, trauma, and an increasingly hostile immigration system turn to Tahirih for legal help. The organization operates a centralized helpline that offers immediate safety planning, legal advice, and support to people who often have nowhere else to go.
In 2025, calls for help have doubled as immigrant survivors struggle to find trustworthy legal support.
Support from the Defending Our Neighbors Fund has helped Tahirih retain critical staff, including attorneys and impact litigators, at a time when access to legal representation is becoming harder to secure. This stability allows survivors to reach trained lawyers who understand both immigration law and the realities of gender-based violence.
Many survivors fear that calling for help will put them at risk of detention or deportation. ICE’s presence in courthouses and clinics, and collaboration between ICE and local police, makes it harder for people to trust calling 911. Every path to safety can feel dangerous, even when survivors are legally entitled to protection. The idea of a safe tomorrow feels out of reach when seeking help can lead to arrest.
Legal services do more than offer hope. They can open the door to safety, stability, and the possibility of rebuilding a life.
Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center has spent decades providing legal services to low-income immigrants in El Paso, Texas and across the border region. With a small staff of fewer than 20 people, the team focuses primarily on removal defense and immigrant legal representation. They help people navigate complex deportation proceedings, assert their rights in detention, and connect with critical immigrant support services.
As national hostility toward immigration groups increased, Las Americas lost major funding and faced difficult layoffs. Support from the Defending Our Neighbors Fund arrived at a decisive moment. It helped the organization avoid deeper cuts, retain experienced attorneys, and respond quickly to urgent cases, including reaching people detained at new sites like Camp East Montana at Ft. Bliss.
This funding came at a moment when everything felt uncertain. It meant the team could keep showing up for people in detention, for families navigating impossible systems, and for a community that depends on consistent legal help for immigrants. In this environment, staying open is not guaranteed. Support like this ensures Las Americas can continue operating when the community needs it most.
In March 2025, the administration initiated a major rollback of protections for immigrant children by eliminating key legal safeguards. In a single week, the government shut down funding for lawyers for unaccompanied children and placed minors on expedited “rocket dockets.” Children as young as toddlers through pre teens were suddenly required to appear alone in immigration court on an unprecedented timeline without legal representation.
With no notice, the Galveston Houston Immigrant Representation Project was forced to halt representation for hundreds of children who depend on their advocacy. The team faced an impossible choice. They could continue representing young clients without any funding, or withdraw and leave children vulnerable to harm, exploitation, and trafficking.
Funding from the Defending Our Neighbors Fund was a lifeline for the organization, its staff, and its clients. It created a path forward that allowed the team to meet the urgent legal needs of children while upholding their ethical duties as attorneys. This support ensured that vulnerable young people continued to receive immigrant legal defense at a moment when protections were being stripped away nationwide.
