Immigrant Legal Defense

What Immigrant Legal Defense does

Immigrant Legal Defense (ILD) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal services organization headquartered at 1322 Webster Street, Suite 401, Oakland, California. Its mission is to provide full-scope immigration legal representation to underserved immigrant communities, with a particular focus on detained individuals, asylum seekers, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) applicants, and undocumented students. ILD currently manages 182 active SIJS cases drawn from El Salvador, Nigeria, Guatemala, Jamaica, and Vietnam, alongside broader removal-defense, bond-hearing, naturalization, and DACA caseloads.

ILD delivers services through three primary channels: (1) direct representation in immigration court and detention facilities in California, Georgia, and Louisiana; (2) on-campus legal clinics at 9 California State University campuses, 34 California Community College campuses, and the Oakland Unified School District; and (3) community education through webinars, Know Your Rights sessions, and the "Conversations that Matter" podcast with Fresno State's Dream Success Center. All client-facing legal services are provided free of charge. The organization runs two structured talent-pipeline programs: the Valerie Zukin Memorial Fellowship (10-week, $15,000 paid summer placements at ILD, NWIRP, and CCIJ) and the state-funded California Immigration Legal Fellowship, which has placed ten fellows in Central Valley and Central Coast organizations.

ILD has no proprietary technology product; its revenue is sourced from individual/foundation donations, Donor-Advised Funds (DAFgiving360, Fidelity Charitable, BNY Mellon), and a historic California state grant. The organization is led by Executive Director Eleni Wolfe-Roubatis and a bench of managing attorneys including founders Laura Polstein and Alison Pennington. Strategic partnerships include the End SIJS Backlog Coalition (founding member), Black LGBTQI+ Migrant Project, Haitian Bridge Alliance, CHIRLA, IIBA, Asian Law Caucus, and CLSEPA, where ILD provides removal-defense mentorship.

Name

Immigrant Legal Defense

Legal name

Immigrant Legal Defense

Website

https://ild.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Immigrant Legal Defense (ILD) is an Oakland-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free immigration legal representation to underserved immigrant communities, including detained individuals, SIJS youth, and undocumented students across 9 CSU, 34 California Community College, and Oakland Unified School District campuses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immigration Legal Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Immigration Law (BPAHAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Immigrant & Refugee Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAG), Immigration Law Literacy & Rights Education (EDAAADAB)

Keywords

• Immigration legal services
• Removal defense representation
• Asylum legal aid
• Detention defense services
• Community legal education

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: ILD relies on charitable donations from individuals, foundations, and the community to fund operations and legal representation services.
2. Valerie Zukin Memorial Fellowship Funding: The fellowship program receives dedicated funding through Donor-Advised Funds (DAFgiving360, Fidelity Charitable, BNY Mellon) and direct donations to support law student placements.
3. State of California Funding: The California Immigration Legal Fellowship is funded through a historic partnership with the state of California, which recognizes immigration legal access as a fundamental equity issue.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Immigrant Legal Defense (ILD) is a nonprofit organization providing full-scope immigration legal representation to underserved immigrant communities, including detained individuals, those in removal proceedings, and asylum seekers. The organization delivers services through direct representation and via partnerships with 9 California State University campuses, 34 California Community College campuses, and the Oakland Unified School District, supplemented by community legal education, policy advocacy, and fellowship programs that train new immigration attorneys.

Product overview

Immigrant Legal Defense (ILD) is a nonprofit legal services organization providing direct immigration legal representation and advocacy. The organization offers multiple interconnected services: direct legal representation for underserved immigrant communities; educational institution partnerships providing on-campus legal services at 9 CSU campuses, 34 California Community College campuses, and OUSD; attorney capacity building through mentorship programs; policy advocacy and litigation; the Valerie Zukin Memorial Fellowship (10-week paid summer placement for law students); the California Immigration Legal Fellowship for rural California; and community education via the 'Conversations that Matter' podcast and Know Your Rights webinars. ILD does not offer a software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Direct Legal Representation Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 182 active SIJS cases currently being handled
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Fresno State Dream Success CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the 'Conversations that Matter' podcast covering immigration topics including DACA, TPS, SIJS, and Dreamers' access to legal services. ILD partners with Fresno State's student support program to provide services to undocumented students in California's Central Valley.
• California State University CampusescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe CSU Higher Education Immigration Legal Services Project provides immigration legal services, education and outreach to students, staff, faculty, and their families at 9 CSU campuses free of charge. Includes CSU Bakersfield, Cal Poly SLO, CSU East Bay, CSU Fresno, CSU Maritime Academy, CSU Monterey Bay, San Francisco State, San José State, and CSU Stanislaus.
• California Community College CampusescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe California Community College Higher Education Immigration Legal Services Project provides immigration legal services, education, and outreach to students, staff, and faculty at 34 campuses free of charge across California.
• Oakland Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides immigration legal services and education to students, families, and school community members in the Oakland Unified School District.
• Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost organization for Valerie Zukin Memorial Fellowship placements. Valerie Zukin started her law career at NWIRP from 2007 to 2011. The fellowship places law students at NWIRP for summer legal work supporting detained immigrant representation.
• California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice (CCIJ)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost organization for Valerie Zukin Memorial Fellowship placements. Valerie Zukin served as founding board member and first Legal Director of CCIJ. The fellowship places law students at CCIJ for work on detained representation and immigration defense.
• Black LGTBQI+ Migrant Project (BLMP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerILD has created novel partnerships with organizations working directly with communities adversely impacted by racist and punitive U.S. immigration laws. ILD represents detained immigrants in partnership with BLMP, expanding reach to support grassroots organizations with limited attorney capacity.
• Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerILD partners with Haitian Bridge Alliance to represent detained immigrants in prisons and detention centers throughout California, Georgia, and Louisiana, allowing expansion of support to grassroots organizations with limited attorney capacity.
• Immigration Institute of the Bay Area (IIBA)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerILD works with IIBA to support the development of their immigration legal services programs and provide mentorship on removal defense to their immigration teams.
• Asian Law Caucus Advancing Justice (ALC)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerILD provides mentorship to ALC's immigration teams on removal defense and supports the development of their immigration legal services programs.
• Community Legal Services of East Palo Alto (CLSEPA)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerILD provides mentorship on removal defense to CLSEPA's immigration teams and supports development of their immigration legal services programs.
• State of CaliforniaflagshipOthersHistoric partnership with the state of California funding the California Immigration Legal Fellowship. The state increasingly recognizes immigration legal access as a fundamental equity issue. ILD has supported ten fellows at organizations in California's Central Valley and Central Coast.
• Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalifornia Legal Immigration Fellow Irving, supervised by ILD attorney Laura Polstein, was placed at CHIRLA as part of the state-funded California Immigration Legal Fellowship to provide direct representation in the Central Valley.
• End SIJS Backlog CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerILD is a founding member of the End SIJS Backlog Coalition, a coalition of lawyers, child welfare organizations and impacted youth working to educate decision makers about the impacts of the SIJS backlog and dismantle the conditions behind it.

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Justice & Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco: San Francisco legal services nonprofit providing pro bono immigration representation, including detained immigrant work. Comparable to ILD in service model and target population in the Bay Area.
• Immigrant Defense Advocates (IDA): California nonprofit focused on immigrant detention defense and impact litigation. IDA co-filed an amicus brief with ILD in the 9th Circuit AB 32 case, reflecting direct overlap in casework and advocacy approach.
• Community Legal Services of East Palo Alto (CLSEPA): Bay Area legal services nonprofit providing immigration legal services to low-income communities. ILD mentors CLSEPA's immigration teams on removal defense, reflecting direct operational and service overlap.
• California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice (CCIJ): California-based nonprofit focused on detained immigrant representation and systemic advocacy. CCIJ is also a Valerie Zukin Fellowship host site and a direct operational partner of ILD.
• Immigration Institute of the Bay Area (IIBA): Bay Area nonprofit providing immigration legal services, citizenship preparation, and education. IIBA receives removal defense mentorship from ILD, indicating direct peer overlap in immigration legal service delivery.
• Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP): Direct peer providing free immigration legal services, including detained representation, across the Pacific Northwest. NWIRP is also a host site for ILD's Valerie Zukin Memorial Fellowship, underscoring direct operational and mission alignment.
• Asian Law Caucus Advancing Justice (ALC): San Francisco-based Asian American civil rights organization providing immigration legal services. ILD provides removal defense mentorship to ALC's immigration teams, making them direct operational peers.
• Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA): California-based immigrant rights organization providing direct legal services, advocacy, and community education. CHIRLA hosts ILD-supervised California Immigration Legal Fellows in the Central Valley.

Broad incumbents

• Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC): Long-standing national immigrant rights organization providing legal training, policy advocacy, and resource materials. Broader in scope than ILD but directly comparable in mission and California footprint.
• Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC): National nonprofit network of immigration legal services programs affiliated with Catholic agencies. Broader in scope than ILD but operating in the same immigration legal aid space with similar pro bono and direct-representation model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/immlegaldefense?lang=en
• Instagraminstagram.com/immigrantlegaldefense/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Immigrant Legal Defense