Immigration Reform Law Institute

What Immigration Reform Law Institute does

The Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) is a nonprofit legal organization founded in 1986 and headquartered at 25 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC, operating with a staff of approximately 8. Its mission is to defend responsible immigration policies in court, before administrative agencies, and before legislative bodies on behalf of the American people; to serve as a watchdog against abuses of power; and to educate the public about mass migration. The organization describes itself as the only public interest law firm devoted solely to the effective enforcement of the nation's immigration laws, with over three decades of experience and precedent-setting case outcomes in federal appellate courts including the Third Circuit, DC Circuit, and Supreme Court.

IRLI's offering is structured around four integrated service areas: Litigation (federal amicus briefs and lawsuits defending immigration enforcement and challenging sanctuary policies), Legislation & Regulation (drafting and defending immigration policy at federal, state, and local levels, including APA rulemaking petitions), Investigation (FOIA-driven inquiries into DHS, DOJ, CBP, ICE, and other agencies), and Education (legal training, law review articles, symposia, legislative testimony, media commentary, and op-eds in outlets such as Law360, The Hill, Fox News, National Review, and Breitbart). The organization also produces media through its IRLI TV YouTube channel and the "No Border, No Country" podcast, and operates an affiliated attorney network, Attorneys United for a Secure America (AUSA). Underlying technology is limited to standard legal advocacy and litigation-support workflows with no disclosed proprietary platform.

IRLI is funded entirely by donations and charitable contributions and does not charge for services. It operates as a supporting organization of, and as of 2025 an integrated component of, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), functioning as FAIR's litigation and investigations division. Customer constituencies are public-interest in nature: American citizens broadly, federal/state/local legislators, federal immigration enforcement agencies, and the legal community.

Name

Immigration Reform Law Institute

Legal name

Immigration Reform Law Institute

Website

https://irli.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Founded in 1986, the Immigration Reform Law Institute is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit public interest law firm providing litigation, legislative, investigative, and educational services to defend U.S. immigration enforcement, funded by donations and now operating as the litigation arm of FAIR.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Interest Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111), Offices of Lawyers (541110), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Immigration Law (BPAHAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Immigration Legal Services & Representation (Law Firms) (THACAKAF), Visa, Immigration Liaison & Travel Document Policy (Foreign Affairs) (BPAIAIAL)

Keywords

• Immigration law litigation
• Public interest law
• Immigration policy advocacy
• Legal investigations FOIA
• Immigration legislation drafting

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: IRLI operates as a nonprofit legal organization that relies on donations from supporters to fund its litigation, investigation, legislation, and education activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IRLI is a nonprofit public interest law firm that defends and enforces U.S. immigration laws through four integrated service areas: federal litigation (including amicus briefs challenging sanctuary policies), legislative drafting and defense at federal/state/local levels, FOIA-based investigations of immigration agencies, and public legal education. As of 2025, it operates as the litigation and investigations division of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).

Product overview

The Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) is a nonprofit legal organization offering a portfolio of legal services rather than a technology product. The core offerings are four integrated service areas: Litigation (challenging sanctuary policies and defending immigration enforcement in federal courts), Legislation & Regulation (drafting policy and defending it against legal challenges), Investigation (using FOIA and public records laws to investigate immigration agencies), and Education (providing legal analysis and expert testimony). IRLI also produces media content through IRLI TV (YouTube channel) and the "No Border, No Country" podcast, publishes investigative reports, press releases, and commentary articles. An affiliated attorney network, Attorneys United for a Secure America (AUSA), extends IRLI's reach. The organization functions as the litigation and investigations division of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) following a 2025 integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Attorneys United for a Secure America (AUSA): A non-partisan affiliation of talented attorneys dedicated to pursuing cases that serve the national interest when it comes to immigration law.

Products and services

• Litigation Services Public interest litigation on behalf of American workers, taxpayers, and communities affected by mass migration, including federal lawsuits defending immigration enforcement and challenging sanctuary policies.
• Legislation & Regulation Services Drafting and defending immigration legislation and policy at federal, state, and local levels, including public comments and petitions for agency rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act.
• Investigation Services Using public records laws including Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to investigate immigration-related issues and hold government agencies accountable, targeting federal agencies including DHS, DOJ, CBP, ICE, and others.
• Education Services Expert legal advice, training, and resources for public officials, the legal community, and the public including law review articles, legal issue briefs, books, academic symposia, legislative testimony, media appearances, and op-eds.
• Attorneys United for a Secure America (AUSA) Non-partisan affiliation of attorneys dedicated to pursuing cases that serve the national interest in immigration law.

Quantifiable outcome

• Third Circuit struck down New Jersey's alien detention ban as unconstitutional
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Attorneys United for a Secure America (AUSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAUSA is a non-partisan affiliation of talented attorneys dedicated to pursuing cases that serve the national interest when it comes to immigration law. IRLI works with AUSA as a network of attorneys supporting its mission.
• Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRLI has integrated with FAIR, becoming its litigation and investigations division. FAIR is now the parent organization, with IRLI serving as its dedicated legal arm for litigation, investigation, and enforcement defense work.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Heritage Foundation: A major conservative think tank that produces immigration policy research, engages in legal advocacy, and reaches lawmakers — comparable policy-research-plus-advocacy footprint, though not focused exclusively on immigration.
• Institute for Justice: A national public interest law firm that litigates constitutional cases; comparable nonprofit legal-advocacy structure and amicus-style litigation strategy, though broader substantive scope.
• Pacific Legal Foundation: A larger public interest law firm that litigates constitutional and limited-government cases in federal courts — comparable public-interest legal-advocacy model but broader scope beyond immigration.
• Americans for Prosperity Foundation: A large policy advocacy organization that engages in litigation, legislation, and grassroots mobilization — comparable multi-channel advocacy model with overlapping donor demographics.

Direct peers

• National Immigration Law Center (NILC): A nonprofit legal advocacy organization dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of low-income immigrants — comparable legal-services-plus-advocacy model to IRLI, though ideologically opposed.
• American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA): The national association of immigration attorneys, providing legal services, policy advocacy, and education. AILA is the professional counterpart on the pro-immigration side, making it the most direct functional peer in the immigration legal services space.
• Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR): FAIR is IRLI's parent organization and a leading immigration-restriction advocacy nonprofit. Both organizations pursue immigration reform advocacy and now share governance, making FAIR the closest comparable mission-aligned peer.
• Center for Immigration Studies: A Washington, D.C.-based immigration policy research organization that produces analysis supporting immigration enforcement, closely aligned with IRLI's policy positions and target audience of legislators and the public.
• NumbersUSA: A grassroots immigration-reduction advocacy organization that mobilizes constituents to contact legislators on immigration policy — comparable mission and donor base, though focused on lobbying rather than litigation.

Regional players

• Americans for Immigration Law Enforcement: A smaller advocacy organization promoting strict immigration enforcement; comparable mission but narrower geographic and operational scale than IRLI.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCWgz49LlM-SwohWO8KxY_QQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/irli-law

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Immigration Reform Law Institute