Immigration Counseling Service

What Immigration Counseling Service does

Immigration Counseling Service (ICS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization (Tax ID No. 93-0696480) founded on April 13, 1978, and headquartered at 519 SW Park Ave, Suite 610, Portland, Oregon, with a branch office in Hood River. It is described as the oldest and only independent nonprofit law firm dedicated to improving the lives of immigrants in Oregon and Southwest Washington, delivering immigration legal representation across family-based and employment-based pathways, asylum claims, deportation defense, DACA renewals, U/T visa petitions, and representation of unaccompanied minors. Service delivery occurs through fixed offices, mobile legal clinics that travel to rural Oregon and Southwest Washington, and virtual clinics organized with partner organizations. Operations are structured around several programs: Immigrant and Refugee Services, Legal Services, the Unaccompanied Children Program, Access Services, the Immigrant Legal Relief Fund, and DACA and citizenship education services.

The business model is hybrid nonprofit: ICS relies on charitable donations and grants as the primary funding base, supplemented by sliding-scale and pro bono client fees. Historically, a meaningful share of program funding came from federal sources, including a USCIS grant for citizenship education in rural Oregon and the Unaccompanied Children Program, where ICS served as Oregon's sole legal service provider for nearly 20 years. Both federal grants were terminated in March 2025 under the Trump Administration, materially affecting funded program scope. Customer acquisition is community-led — driven by word-of-mouth, social media, partner referrals (PODER Oregon, Oregon Farm Bureau, PCUN, Catholic Charities, SOAR Immigration Legal, Equity Corps of Oregon, Signs of Justice), and grassroots outreach. The organization reports serving 1,700+ clients annually and approximately 11,000 DACA recipients in Oregon over a decade. There is no proprietary technology product, API, or AI capability disclosed; the operating platform is a Squarespace-hosted website, email newsletter, and social media presence across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Leadership includes Executive Director Frank Garcia.

Name

Immigration Counseling Service

Legal name

Immigration Counseling Service

Website

https://ics-law.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Immigration Counseling Service is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm founded in 1978 that provides low-cost and pro bono immigration legal services to immigrants and refugees in Oregon and Southwest Washington through offices, mobile clinics, and partner organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immigration Legal Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Asylum & Refugee Status Determination (RSD) Support (BPADAHAB), Immigration Law Literacy & Rights Education (EDAAADAB)

Keywords

• Immigration legal services
• Asylum representation
• Deportation defense
• DACA renewal services
• Unaccompanied children legal aid

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax ID No. 93-0696480), ICS relies on public donations to fund operations and legal services for immigrants.
2. Federal Government Grants: Previously received federal grants from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for citizenship education services and the Unaccompanied Children Program. These grants have been terminated under the Trump Administration as of March 2025.
3. Client Fees (Sliding Scale): Provides low-cost legal services to immigrants who cannot afford standard legal fees. Services are provided at subsidized rates or pro bono based on client financial need.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Immigration Counseling Service (ICS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm that provides low-cost and pro bono immigration legal services to immigrants and refugees in Oregon and Southwest Washington. The organization's core offerings include legal representation for family-based and employment-based immigration pathways, asylum claims, deportation defense, DACA renewals, and protection services for unaccompanied children and survivors of trafficking.

Product overview

Immigration Counseling Service (ICS) operates as a single unified legal services offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core product is immigration legal representation and advocacy, delivered through distinct but interconnected programs including Legal Services, Unaccompanied Children Program, Access Services, and the Immigrant Legal Relief Fund. ICS also provides educational resources such as Know Your Rights materials and citizenship education. The organization serves immigrants and refugees in Oregon and Southwest Washington, offering employment-based and family-based immigration pathways, asylum representation, and deportation defense.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Immigrant and Refugee Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 1700+ immigrants annually with legal services
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• PODER OregonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerICS is a member of PODER Oregon, a community organization. They partnered together to support farmworker families affected by the I-5 tragedy in May 2023, demonstrating grassroots community collaboration.
• Oregon Farm BureauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with ICS and PODER Oregon to support farmworker families affected by the I-5 tragedy, providing emergency relief and support services.
• Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOregon's farmworker union partnered with ICS to support families affected by the I-5 tragedy, providing community solidarity and resources.
• Catholic CharitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerICS partnered with Catholic Charities to offer a May Day Virtual DACA Renewal Clinic, combining resources to serve Dreamers needing DACA renewals.
• SOAR Immigration LegalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with ICS for the May Day Virtual DACA Renewal Clinic to provide free legal services for DACA recipients.
• Signs of JusticeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partner producing contact postcards for the #TheMajorityProject, encouraging constituents to contact Congress about pathways to citizenship.
• Equity Corps of OregonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEquity Corps of Oregon provides FAQ resources on parole termination notices that ICS shares with clients, demonstrating referral and information-sharing partnership.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Women's Refugee Commission: Adjacent peer: a national nonprofit advocating for women, children, and youth fleeing persecution — overlapping with ICS's unaccompanied children and asylum caseload. Not a direct legal services competitor but a major advocate shaping the same funding and policy environment.

Direct peers

• Northwest Immigrant Rights Project: Direct peer: a Washington-state based nonprofit providing free and low-cost immigration legal services to low-income immigrants across the Pacific Northwest. Operates the same core legal aid model in an adjacent geography, with overlapping client populations and federal grant exposure.
• Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC): Direct peer: national nonprofit network that supports affiliated immigration legal services programs with training, capacity building, and representation. Operates the same legal-aid category as ICS but at far greater national scale, and similarly reliant on federal grants and donor support.
• Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC): Direct peer: a national nonprofit that provides immigration legal training, advocacy, and resources to support legal aid programs and directly serves immigrants. Highly comparable on citizenship education, DACA, and removal defense program areas that overlap with ICS offerings.
• Justice For Our Neighbors: Direct peer: a national network of nonprofit immigration legal clinics providing free or low-cost representation to immigrants, including asylum, family-based, and DACA cases. Shares ICS's nonprofit legal-aid mission and sliding-scale fee model with a multi-state footprint.
• The Advocates for Human Rights: Direct peer: a Minneapolis-based nonprofit providing pro bono immigration legal services (asylum, family-based, naturalization) and human rights programming. Comparable nonprofit legal-aid model and similar donor-funded revenue structure.
• Catholic Charities Oregon: Direct peer and existing ICS partner: provides immigration legal services across Oregon including DACA clinics and refugee resettlement — directly comparable service portfolio. Operates as a similar faith-rooted nonprofit legal services organization in the same geography.

Broad incumbents

• American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA): Broad incumbent: a national bar association of immigration attorneys with 16,000+ members. AILA shapes immigration law practice standards and provides training and advocacy that influence ICS's regulatory environment, though it is not a direct service-delivery peer.

Regional players

• Legal Aid Services of Oregon: Regional player: Oregon's largest provider of free civil legal aid to low-income residents, including immigration-related matters. Operates in the same geographic market as ICS with overlapping intake and referral, though its practice spans broader civil legal issues.

Emerging players

• Kids in Need of Defense (KIND): Emerging player: national nonprofit focused specifically on unaccompanied children's immigration cases — directly comparable to ICS's now-terminated Unaccompanied Children Program. KIND's specialization makes it a strong adjacent peer despite operating across more states.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/ics_law_org
• Xx.com/ICS_PDX
• Facebookfacebook.com/ICS.PDX

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Counseling Service