Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center

What Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center does

Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center (LAIAC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1987 and headquartered at 1500 E. Yandell Dr., El Paso, Texas, with cross-border operations in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico and service presence in New Mexico. The organization provides free, high-quality immigration legal services to low-income immigrants — including asylum seekers, DACA recipients, detained immigrants, crime survivors (U-Visa/T-Visa), LGBTQ migrants, and families — addressing the access-to-justice gap in a system that disproportionately penalizes unrepresented individuals. Service lines include direct legal representation, Know Your Rights presentations, cross-border accompaniment, U-Visa and DACA filings, asylum petitions, detained-immigrant representation at the Otero County Processing Center and El Paso Service Processing Center, and community resource referrals. The organization explicitly avoids proprietary technology platforms and does not charge clients for services.

The business model is nonprofit grant-funded: revenue derives from individual donations (including the recurring 'Las Monarcas' donor program), foundation grants, government grants, annual events (Border Heroes gala), merchandise (Mercado Monarca via Bonfire), and honorarium-based presentations to student and training groups. No equity, venture, or institutional investor ownership exists. The go-to-market motion is community-led: grassroots engagement, Know Your Rights presentations, cross-border accompaniment, earned media, and partner referrals from ACLU, RAICES, Texas Civil Rights Project, and other immigrant rights coalitions. Marketing relies on a Medium publication, email newsletter, social media, and recurring national media citations as a policy voice.

Strategically, Las Americas has increasingly combined direct service with high-impact federal litigation, serving as co-plaintiff in challenges to the Trump 212(f) asylum proclamation (Feb 2025), Guantánamo Bay detainee access (Feb 2025), Texas S.B. 4, and the Texas Attorney General's investigation under the Deceptive Trade Practices Act (Sept 2024). It has also extended advocacy into international fora (UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights). Leadership includes Executive Director Marisa Limón Garza, Director of Advocacy and Legal Services Jennifer Babaie, Supervising Attorney Zoe Bowman, and Director of Cross-Border Initiatives Crystal Sandoval. Cumulative reach is cited at ~60,000 people served since 1987, with the organization described as a small, grassroots 11–50 employee operation.

Name

Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center

Legal name

Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center

Website

https://las-americas.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1987 that provides free immigration legal services to low-income immigrants, asylum seekers, and detained persons across El Paso, Ciudad Juárez, and New Mexico.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immigration Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Immigration Law (BPAHAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Immigrant & Refugee Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAG), Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM), Immigration Legal Services & Representation (Law Firms) (THACAKAF)

Keywords

• Immigration legal services
• Asylum representation
• DACA renewal assistance
• Detention legal advocacy
• Border immigrant rights

Headquarters

HQ city

El Paso

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Las Americas is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that funds its operations primarily through donations from individuals and institutional grants from foundations and government funders. The organization also receives funding through events, recurring donor programs (e.g., 'Las Monarcas' recurring donor program), and shop merchandise sales.
2. Event Revenue and Shop: Revenue generated through ticket sales for events such as Border Heroes, merchandise (Mercado Monarca via Bonfire), and honorarium-based presentations for student groups and training sessions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center provides free, high-quality legal representation to low-income immigrants and asylum seekers in the U.S.-Mexico border region, including asylum petitions, DACA renewals, U-Visa applications, TPS, family-based immigration, and representation for detained immigrants. The organization operates bi-nationally across El Paso, Texas; Ciudad Juárez, Mexico; and New Mexico, supplementing direct legal services with Know Your Rights education, cross-border accompaniment, community resource referrals, and high-impact policy and federal litigation advocacy.

Product overview

Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides high-quality legal services to low-income immigrants. The organization focuses on serving women, children, families, the LGBTQ community, and asylum seekers. Services include legal consultations and representation, Know Your Rights presentations, U-Visa applications, DACA assistance, asylum services, and community resources connecting clients to legal, housing, food, and mental health support. The organization operates in El Paso, Texas, New Mexico, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Asylum Legal Representation
• DACA Renewal and Assistance
• U-Visa and T-Visa Applications
• Detained Immigrant Representation
• Know Your Rights Presentations In-person and remote Know Your Rights presentations delivered to community groups and individuals, educating immigrants on their legal rights, protections during ICE encounters, and available immigration remedies.
• Community Resources Portal
• Cross-Border Accompaniment Services
• Pro Bono Attorney Program

Quantifiable outcome

• ~60,000 people served since 1987
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Coalition of 23 organizations (KIND-led sign-on letter)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 September 2025Las Americas joined 22 other organizations (led by Kids in Need of Defense) in demanding that ICE, HSI, and ORR halt interviews of unaccompanied children in ORR facilities, warning that such interviews cause acute trauma, chill communication with child welfare agencies, and undermine child safety.
• Coalition of 15 immigrants' rights organizations (UNWGEID submission)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2025Las Americas co-authored and submitted urgent reports to the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on systematic U.S. government human rights violations against migrants, including incommunicado detention, denial of counsel, and enforced disappearances to third countries.
• Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 February 2025CCR and Las Americas co-filed litigation and habeas petitions for detained immigrants facing transfer to Guantánamo Bay, including Venezuelan clients at Otero County Processing Center and Melika Mohammadi Gazvar Olya at El Paso Service Processing Center.
• International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 February 2025Co-plaintiff with Las Americas, RAICES, American Gateways, and Americans for Immigrant Justice in federal lawsuit demanding access to immigrants transferred to Guantánamo Bay, asserting constitutional and international law protections.
• American GatewayscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 February 2025Co-plaintiff in Guantánamo access lawsuit. American Gateways provides immigration legal services in Texas and would be denied access to clients transferred to Guantánamo.
• Americans for Immigrant JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 February 2025Co-plaintiff in federal lawsuit seeking access to immigrants at Guantánamo Bay. Would be denied ability to serve clients detained at the offshore facility.
• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2025Co-plaintiff with ACLU and other organizations in federal lawsuit challenging Trump's 212(f) proclamation shutting down asylum at the border. Las Americas serves as an affected legal services provider whose ability to serve asylum seekers would be eliminated under the challenged policy.
• Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2025Co-plaintiff with RAICES in federal lawsuit challenging the asylum shutdown proclamation. Both organizations provide direct legal services to asylum seekers at the border and would be directly harmed by the policy.
• Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2025Co-plaintiff in federal lawsuit challenging Trump's asylum shutdown. The Florence Project provides legal services to detained immigrants in Arizona and would be unable to serve clients under the challenged proclamation.
• Texas Civil Rights Project (TCRP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2025Co-plaintiff in federal asylum lawsuit. TCRP and Las Americas also partnered on legal challenges to Texas S.B. 4 anti-immigrant law and to defend against the Texas Attorney General's baseless investigation into Las Americas.
• Winston & Strawn LLPcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 26 September 2024Major international law firm Winston & Strawn joined Texas Civil Rights Project in filing a lawsuit on behalf of Las Americas challenging the Texas Attorney General's baseless investigation under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The firm provides pro bono legal representation.
• Witness at the Border, Quixote Center, Human Security Initiative, Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef), Red Franciscana para Migrantes in PanamaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 June 2024Coalition of advocates who released the report 'DANGER IN THE DARIÉN GAP: Human Rights Abuses and the Need for Humane Pathways to Safety,' documenting violence, exploitation, and environmental hazards in the Darién Gap migration route, and calling for humane pathways to safety.
• American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico (ACLU-NM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLas Americas works closely with ACLU-NM on litigation and advocacy related to New Mexico immigration detention, including joint complaints against abuses at the Otero County Processing Center (solitary confinement, conditions) and federal court filings for detained clients.
• Singleton Schreiber, LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Singleton Schreiber as co-counsel in federal habeas corpus proceedings securing the release of wrongfully detained DACA recipient Paulo Cesar Gamez Lira from Otero County Processing Center.
• Pro Bono AttorneyscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLas Americas operates a formal Pro Bono Attorney Program recruiting licensed attorneys to provide free immigration legal services. The program offers training, mentorship, and case placement for attorneys willing to take on immigration cases on a pro bono basis.
• Las Americas MexicocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-border partnership between Las Americas' U.S. operations and its Mexico-based programming to develop trafficking victim screening tools for shelters in Mexico, enabling referral of potentially trafficked persons to the CBP One exemption process.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• HIAS: Global Jewish nonprofit providing refugee resettlement and immigration legal services. Operates at significantly larger scale than Las Americas with broader geographic reach, but serves overlapping asylum-seeker and refugee populations with comparable legal services model.
• Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR): National impact litigation nonprofit with broader civil rights portfolio. Direct litigation partner with Las Americas on habeas petitions and Guantánamo access litigation, operating at larger scale but with comparable impact-litigation model serving detained immigrants.
• Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC): National nonprofit network supporting immigration legal services programs across the U.S. Broader scope than Las Americas as a network/incumbent, but operates in the same immigration legal services category with affiliated programs serving similar low-income immigrant populations.

Direct peers

• Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES): Texas-based 501(c)(3) providing immigration legal services and education to immigrants and refugees. Direct co-plaintiff with Las Americas in federal lawsuits challenging asylum shutdown and Guantánamo transfers, serving the same low-income immigrant population.
• Americans for Immigrant Justice: Florida-based nonprofit providing immigration legal services to low-income immigrants. Co-plaintiff with Las Americas in the Guantánamo access lawsuit, with comparable direct legal services model serving detained and low-income immigrant populations.
• Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef): Southern California-based nonprofit providing immigration legal services, including detained immigrant representation. Coalition partner with Las Americas on border and asylum advocacy work, with directly comparable service portfolio.
• American Gateways: Texas-based nonprofit providing immigration legal services. Co-plaintiff with Las Americas in the Guantánamo access lawsuit, with directly comparable service model and geographic overlap in Texas border operations.
• Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project: Nonprofit providing free legal services to detained immigrants in Arizona. Co-plaintiff with Las Americas in federal asylum litigation and serves an analogous detained-immigrant niche across a different border state.
• Texas Civil Rights Project (TCRP): Texas-based nonprofit providing legal advocacy on civil and immigrant rights. Direct co-plaintiff with Las Americas in federal asylum litigation and in defending against the Texas Attorney General investigation, operating in the same Texas border policy environment.
• Kids in Need of Defense (KIND): National nonprofit providing legal representation to unaccompanied immigrant children. Led the 23-organization sign-on letter Las Americas joined concerning ICE/HSI interviews of children, making it a directly comparable immigration legal services organization with overlapping unaccompanied minor focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lasamericasiac
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@lasamericasiac
• Facebookfacebook.com/lasamericasIAC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/las-americas-immigrant-advocacy-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/lasamericasiac

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center