Central American Legal Assistance

What Central American Legal Assistance does

Central American Legal Assistance (CALA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm founded in 1986 by Anne Pilsbury in response to the Salvadoran Civil War refugee crisis. The organization is headquartered in the basement of Transfiguration Catholic Church at 240 Hooper Street, Brooklyn, New York, where it has operated continuously since 1986. CALA provides free or low-cost legal services to New York's immigrant community, with a primary focus on Central and South American asylum seekers. Its core offerings include asylum applications and representation, removal defense, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) reincription for Salvadoran and Venezuelan nationals, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) renewals, and federal appellate litigation before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

The organization is staffed by approximately 20+ personnel including senior attorneys, legal directors, DOJ Accredited Representatives, paralegals, fellowship placements, and administrative staff. CALA has secured multiple precedent-setting federal appellate victories, including Hernandez-Chacon v. Barr (2020) and Garcia-Aranda v. Garland (2022), which have shaped asylum law for Central American immigrants. The organization maintains strategic partnerships with Bard College (since 2000, providing volunteer support) and hosts fellows from Immigrant Justice Corps and Equal Justice Works. Recent program launches include the Rapid Response Legal Collaborative (2019) and the Pro Se Plus Project (2023), the latter responding to the surge of newly arrived migrants to New York.

CALA's business model is structured as a nonprofit funded primarily through donations and grants, with nominal cost-recovery fees for select services such as a $160 office fee for TPS reincription assistance (separate from USCIS-imposed government fees). The go-to-market motion is community-led, driven by word-of-mouth referrals within immigrant communities, the church-based physical presence, and substantive earned media coverage in outlets including The New York Times, NPR, WNYC, and The Guardian. Customer acquisition is grounded in trust and community standing built over nearly four decades rather than paid marketing. The organization is governed by an independent Board of Directors with no parent company, equity ownership, or institutional investment.

Name

Central American Legal Assistance

Legal name

Central American Legal Assistance

Website

https://centralamericanlegal.info

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Central American Legal Assistance is a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm founded in 1986 that provides free or low-cost legal representation to Central and South American immigrants in New York, specializing in asylum, TPS, DACA, and federal appellate litigation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immigration Legal Services

NAICS

All Other Legal Services (541199), Other Legal Services (54119), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Immigration Law (BPAHAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI), Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE), Work Permit & Employment Authorization Services (THACAKAB), Destination Immigration Services (In-Country Registration, Residence Permits, Renewals) (THACAKAI)

Keywords

• Immigration legal services
• Asylum representation
• DACA renewal assistance
• TPS application services
• Removal defense

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, CALA relies primarily on donations from supporters and grants to fund operations. The organization states that donations are tax-deductible and references compliance with New York State Attorney General financial reporting requirements.
2. Client Fees (TPS Processing): CALA charges nominal fees for processing services: $160.00 for the office for TPS reincription assistance, $30 money order/cheque for USCIS reinscription fee, and $520 for work permit fee. These are cost-recovery fees rather than profit-generating charges.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Central American Legal Assistance provides free or low-cost immigration legal services to Central and South American immigrants in New York. Core offerings include asylum application representation, DACA renewal assistance, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) reinscription, removal defense before Immigration Courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals, and federal appellate litigation in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. The organization specializes in serving Spanish-speaking immigrant communities through its Brooklyn office, with bilingual staff providing holistic legal services from initial intake through federal litigation.

Product overview

Central American Legal Assistance (CALA) operates as a single unified legal services organization offering free or low-cost immigration legal services to New York's immigrant community. The core offerings include legal representation in immigration court, asylum filing assistance, and federal circuit court litigation. The organization provides specialized programs for DACA renewals, TPS (Temporary Protected Status) for Salvadoran and Venezuelan nationals, and the Pro Se Plus Project (PSPP) for self-represented migrants. Major litigation work before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, including cases like Hernandez-Chacon v. Barr and Garcia-Aranda v. Garland, forms a significant component of CALA's advocacy for immigrant rights.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Asylum Legal Services Representation for Central and South American asylum-seekers, including assistance with asylum applications, interviews, appeals in immigration court, and federal circuit court litigation before the Board of Immigration Appeals and Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
• DACA Program Assistance with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals renewals and applications, including guidance on eligibility, document preparation, REAL ID assistance, New York State DREAM Act scholarship navigation, and submission to USCIS for DACA recipients in New York.
• TPS Services Temporary Protected Status services for eligible clients, including application assistance, renewals (reinscription), work permit renewals, and pathway guidance to permanent residency for Salvadoran, Venezuelan, and other designated-country nationals. Clients pay $160 CALA office fee plus $30 USCIS reinscription fee and $520 USCIS work permit fee.
• Federal Litigation Services Major federal court litigation representing immigrants and asylum seekers, including cases before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals challenging immigration decisions and shaping asylum law, such as Hernandez-Chacon v. Barr (2020), Garcia-Aranda v. Garland (2022), Castro v. Holder (2010), and Pretzantzin v. Holder (2013).
• Pro Se Plus Project (PSPP) Program responding to the legal needs of recently arrived migrants to New York, helping self-represented individuals navigate immigration court proceedings with self-help legal resources and limited representation.
• Rapid Response Legal Collaborative

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of Latino immigrants guided toward citizenship
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bard CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2000, CALA has maintained an ongoing collaboration with Bard College's in-city semester program for students interested in political science. Bard students volunteer four days per week at CALA, providing translation of documents and collecting human rights reports for asylum cases. This partnership significantly extends CALA's operational capacity.
• NYIFUP (New York Immigrant Family Unity Project)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYIFUP filed an amicus brief in Garcia-Aranda v. Garland (2d Cir. 2022), a landmark CAT protection case argued by CALA's Heather Axford. NYIFUP is an initiative providing representation to detained immigrants in New York.
• ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerACLU filed an amicus brief in Pretzantzin v. Holder, 725 F.3d 161 (2d Cir. 2013), a case involving Fourth Amendment violations and suppression of evidence obtained through egregious government conduct.
• Brooklyn Legal Services, Corp. AminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnne Pilsbury, CALA's Founder and Senior Attorney, sits on the Board of Directors of Brooklyn Legal Services, Corp. A, indicating a governance-level relationship between the two legal services organizations.
• Immigrant Justice Corps (IJC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCALA hosts Immigrant Justice Corps Fellows (currently Clara Jergins as IJC Community Fellow, and Julia Ramirez as IJC Justice Fellow), providing fellowship placements for early-career immigration legal professionals. IJC is a premier immigration legal fellowship program in New York.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG): NYC nonprofit providing free civil legal services to low-income New Yorkers, including a robust immigration practice. Supervising Staff Attorney Cassie Estassi previously worked at NYLAG, making it a directly comparable immigration legal services peer.
• Brooklyn Defender Services: Brooklyn-based public defense organization providing holistic representation including immigration consequences work. Operates in the same Brooklyn geography with overlapping immigrant client populations served by CALA.
• Human Rights First: National nonprofit with a strong asylum and immigrant representation program. Cassie Estassi previously held an Immigrant Justice Fellowship at Human Rights First, mirroring CALA's asylum litigation model and fellowship pipeline.
• Catholic Charities Community Services (Archdiocese of New York): Large NYC-based social services and immigration legal aid provider. Board member Kristi Dalling previously served as Senior Attorney there, indicating direct operational overlap in immigrant representation in New York.
• Safe Passage Project: NYC nonprofit providing free lawyers to immigrant children facing deportation. Senior Staff Attorney Livia Santoro previously served there, indicating direct overlap in the NYC immigrant youth representation space.
• The Door: NYC youth services organization with a legal services unit serving immigrant youth. Livia Santoro previously supervised the Detained Minors Project at The Door, making it a directly comparable peer in NYC immigrant youth representation.
• Make the Road New York: Brooklyn-based immigrant and worker rights organization offering free legal services, community organizing, and adult education—directly comparable to CALA's Brooklyn immigrant legal services and bilingual community-anchored model.
• New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP): State-funded program providing legal representation to detained immigrants in New York. NYIFUP filed an amicus brief in CALA's Garcia-Aranda case, evidencing a closely aligned mission and direct co-litigation relationship.

Regional players

• RAICES (Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services): Texas-based nonprofit providing free and low-cost immigration legal services. Supervising Staff Attorney Ryan Clough previously represented detained families and adults at RAICES, demonstrating it as a close functional peer in a different geography.

Emerging players

• Immigrant Justice Corps (IJC): Premier NYC-based immigration legal fellowship program placing fellows at host organizations including CALA. While not a direct legal services competitor, IJC is a key pipeline and ecosystem partner that shapes the supply of early-career immigration attorneys in New York.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CALAenlalucha

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Central American Legal Assistance