Research Guides: One Read for Racial Justice Guide: Dear America: Immigrant Rights: Get Involved

Looking to get involved with immigrant rights?

Below, find links to organizations in Minnesota and across the nation working to establish and protect rights for immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in the United States. Check out their websites for how you can get involved - usually with a monetary donation or volunteering your time locally. It's also important to read up on immigrant rights and what's happening in the news and to share that information with your network of friends and family. Know an organization you think should be on this list? Please contact the library directly (library@stkate.edu) or librarians Amy Mars or Anne Beschnett so we can add it to our list! Looking for information about elections and voting in Minnesota? Check out our Elections & Voting guide linked below.

Minnesota Immigrant Rights Organizations

March in St. Paul, MN, 2018. Photo by Fibonacci Blue on flickr.

Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota
A nonprofit agency that provides legal assistance to low-income immigrants and refugees in Minnesota in addition to education the general public about immigration law. Get involved by donating, volunteering, or working as an intern.
Minnesota Immigration Rights Action Committee (MIRAC)
An all-volunteer run organization working to advance rights for immigrants, end deportations, and promote equality for all regardless of immigration status. Get involved by attending a march, protest, or "Know your rights" training.
Release MN 8
Started in an effort to raise awareness about eight Minnesotans detained to be deported to Cambodia, Release MN 8 now also serves to educate others in similar situations.
International Institute of Minnesota
Provides services to New Americans such as language courses, citizenship classes, cultural celebrations, and job training. Get involved by volunteering your time or through donations.
Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid
A nonprofit dedicated to helping protect Minnesotans' basic rights - life healthcare, education, food, and shelter - through legal assistance.
Volunteer Lawyers Network
A nonprofit that connects volunteer attorneys with low-income people seeking legal assistance.
Minnesota Freedom Fund
A nonprofit working against incarceration by raising money to pay bail for low-income individuals in need. They also run an immigration bond fund to directly help individuals detained by ICE.
American Immigration Lawyers Association - Minnesota/Dakotas Chapter
A national organization of attorneys practicing and teaching immigration law, who represent asylum seekers often on a pro-bono basis.
Advocates for Human Rights
The Advocates for Human Rights represents asylum seekers, advocates for legal reform, and works to help better integrate newcomers to the United States.

National Immigrant Rights Organizations

The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES)
Provides free or low-cost legal services to immigrant children, families, and refugees. Based in Texas. Get involved by donating to their cause or by volunteering your time.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
A nonprofit and nonpartisan organization working to ensure the civil liberties set forth in the U.S. Constitution by changing policy, lobbying Congress, and bringing cases before the Supreme Court. Learn more about immigration laws, detention, ICE and Border Patrol, and citizenship on the ACLU's website.
National Immigration Law Center (NILC)
A national organization working to advance the rights of low income immigrants in the United States. Get involved by donating, attending a training, or reading through their Community Education Materials to learn more about issues related to immigration.
Al Otro Lado
A non-profit providing legal services to refugees, migrants, and deportees in Tijuana, Mexico, in relation to immigration, family law, labor law, and more.