Immigration Services and Legal Advocacy

What Immigration Services and Legal Advocacy does

ISLA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal services organization founded in 2018 and headquartered at 3801 Canal Street, Suite 400, New Orleans, Louisiana. The organization provides free immigration legal representation to detained immigrants at 11 ICE Processing Centers throughout Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region, operating under a universal representation model in which staff travel to remote detention facilities to deliver pro bono services. ISLA is the only free legal support organization for detained immigrants in Louisiana and has won 3 cases before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, establishing it as a regional leader in detained-immigration defense.

ISLA's service portfolio comprises five core programs: the National Qualified Representative Program (NQRP) for detained immigrants with serious mental disorders found incompetent to represent themselves; the Legal Access Services for Reunified Families (LASRF) program for victims of family separation under the Ms. L v. ICE Settlement Agreement; the Habeas Project, launched in Fall 2025 with the National Immigration Project to file federal habeas corpus petitions; the Court Watch program, launched in Fall 2025 with Acacia Center for Justice and the American Bar Association to provide trained volunteer court observers; and Community Advocacy, which includes Know Your Rights workshops and impact litigation. ISLA is a founding member of the Southeast Dignity not Detention Coalition. The organization employs 1-10 staff including Executive Director Al Page, Legal Director Homero López, Appellate Director Emma Morley, Supervising Attorney Jessica Gutierrez, staff attorneys, a paralegal, a data analyst, and a program manager, with a board of five directors.

ISLA is funded entirely through charitable contributions, with one-time and monthly donation tiers of $5, $20, $50, $200, or custom amounts, processed through PayPal. There is no commercial product, no software platform, and no proprietary technology underlying operations. As a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, ISLA is not structured for external equity investment, venture funding, or M&A; it is a donor-supported operating nonprofit whose "revenue" is contributed rather than earned, and whose "customers" are service recipients rather than paying buyers.

Name

Immigration Services and Legal Advocacy

Legal name

Immigration Services and Legal Advocacy

Website

https://islaimmigration.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ISLA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free legal representation to detained immigrants across 11 ICE Processing Centers in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast under a universal representation model, with five core programs including NQRP, LASRF, Habeas Project, Court Watch, and Community Advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immigration Legal Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Immigrant & Refugee Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAG), Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE), Public Defense & Legal Aid Services (BPAIAFAC), Diaspora, Family Reunification & Case Management Services (BPADAHAM)

Keywords

• Immigration legal services
• Pro bono legal aid
• Immigration detention defense
• Legal advocacy services
• Nonprofit immigration services

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: ISLA is a section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that relies on donations from the public to fund free immigration legal services. Donations are tax-deductible and can be made as one-time or monthly contributions at various tier levels.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ISLA provides free, pro bono immigration legal representation to detained immigrants across 11 ICE Processing Centers in Louisiana, Mississippi, and the Gulf Coast region. Services are delivered through a universal representation model and include removal defense, habeas corpus petitions, asylum claims, NQRP representation for mentally incompetent detainees, legal support for families separated under the Ms. L v. ICE Settlement, court observation, and community advocacy. The organization is funded entirely by charitable donations.

Product overview

ISLA operates as a single unified nonprofit offering free immigration legal representation and advocacy services. The organization centers on a Universal Representation model providing pro bono legal representation to detained immigrants across 11 ICE Processing Centers in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region, alongside five named program offerings: the National Qualified Representative Program (NQRP) for detained immigrants with mental disorders, the Legal Access Services for Reunified Families (LASRF) Program for family separation victims, the Habeas Project for federal court habeas corpus petitions, the Court Watch Program for immigration court accountability monitoring, and Community Advocacy for broader immigrant community defense and education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Qualified Representative Program (NQRP)
• Legal Access Services for Reunified Families (LASRF) Program
• Habeas Project
• Court Watch Program
• Community Advocacy
• Universal Representation at ICE Detention Centers

Quantifiable outcome

• Representation across 11 ICE detention centers in Louisiana and Gulf Coast
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Acacia Center for JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025ISLA partners with Acacia Center for Justice as a provider for the National Qualified Representative Program (NQRP), providing representation to detained immigrants with serious mental disorders. Also partners on the Court Watch Project to promote accountability in detained immigration courts.
• American Bar Association (ABA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025ISLA partners with the American Bar Association for the Court Watch Project, providing online training for court watchers who observe detained immigration court cases across Louisiana.
• National Immigration Project (NIP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025ISLA launched the Habeas Project in Fall 2025 in collaboration with the National Immigration Project (NIP) to meet high demand for habeas corpus petitions on behalf of unrepresented immigrants detained in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast.
• Southeast Dignity not Detention CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISLA is a founding member of the Southeast Dignity not Detention Coalition, a broad group of allies organizing to end ICE detention in the Southeast. Coalition members participate in impact litigation as plaintiffs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RAICES (Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services): RAICES is a Texas-based nonprofit providing free and low-cost immigration legal services to immigrants, including detained populations. It operates the largest immigration legal services program in Texas and shares ISLA's mission of universal representation and detention-based representation, making it a directly comparable peer in scope and model.
• National Immigration Project (NIP): NIP is a national immigrant rights organization providing legal training, support, and impact litigation for immigrants' rights. It is a direct partner with ISLA on the Habeas Project and shares the focus on defending immigrants in detention and federal habeas proceedings.
• Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project: Florence Project is an Arizona-based nonprofit providing free legal services to immigrants in ICE custody, including representation in immigration court and universal representation programs. It is the closest geographic and operational analog to ISLA's model in a different detention geography.
• National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC): NIJC is a Chicago-based nonprofit providing immigration legal services to detained and non-detained immigrants, with programs covering asylum, removal defense, and impact litigation. It is one of the most established universal representation advocates and parallels ISLA's detention-focused legal services model.
• Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef): ImmDef is a Southern California-based nonprofit providing universal representation to immigrants facing deportation, including detained populations. Its regional model and emphasis on due process rights makes it a directly comparable peer organization to ISLA.
• Acacia Center for Justice: Acacia Center for Justice is a national nonprofit focused on immigration representation for detained immigrants, including administration of the National Qualified Representative Program (NQRP). It is both a direct peer and a strategic partner of ISLA through the NQRP and Court Watch collaborations.
• Americans for Immigrant Justice: AI Justice is a Florida-based nonprofit providing free and low-cost immigration legal services to low-income immigrants, including detained populations. It operates in a similar regional detention geography and shares ISLA's commitment to universal representation and impact litigation.
• Kids in Need of Defense (KIND): KIND is a national nonprofit providing pro bono legal representation to immigrant children facing deportation. While focused on unaccompanied minors rather than the adult detained population ISLA serves, KIND operates a similar pro bono legal services model through volunteer attorneys and national partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• CLINIC (Catholic Legal Immigration Network): CLINIC is one of the largest immigration legal services networks in the U.S., providing representation, training, and capacity-building across hundreds of affiliated programs. It is a broader incumbent operating at national scale rather than direct detention representation in a single region.
• Vera Institute of Justice: Vera is a national nonprofit that operates programs and research initiatives on immigration detention, including the Safety and Fairness for Everyone (SAFE) network advocating for community-based alternatives to detention. Vera operates at a much broader policy and research scale than ISLA's direct-services focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/islaimmigration
• Facebookfacebook.com/islaimmigration
• Instagraminstagram.com/islaimmigration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Immigration Services and Legal Advocacy