Our mission is to serve as the primary source of legal assistance for detained immigrants and asylum seekers in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and to strengthen and support the work of our coalition members.
Legal Services for Detained Immigrants
CAIR Coalition is the only non-profit organization in the Washington, D.C. area with a legal services program focused exclusively on assisting immigrants detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in local jails in Virginia and the western part of Maryland.
Learn more about our direct services to detained immigrants >
Coalition Member Support
CAIR Coalition helps immigrant advocacy groups, immigration service providers and members of the private immigration bar from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia work together to ensure that all immigrants are treated with fairness, dignity and respect for their human and civil rights. CAIR Coalition works to strengthen and support the work of our Coalition members by providing resources, training and networking opportunities.
Learn more about our coalition member support activities >
Pro Bono Partnerships
CAIR Coalition partners with over 40 D.C. area law firms that provide thousands of hours of free legal assistance to immigrants being held in local jails in Virginia and Maryland. These pro bono partnerships are vital to CAIR Coalition’s ability to serve the hundreds of immigrants who are detained in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody each month.
Learn more about our pro bono partnerships >
Education and Training
CAIR Coalition is committed to increasing the number of pro bono attorneys trained to represent detained immigrants who seek asylum or some other type of immigration relief. Each fall we partner with the D.C. Bar to provide asylum law training to attorneys who agree to take an asylum case after completing the training. CAIR Coalition staff also offers frequent trainings to attorneys at local law firms on issues related to detention and deportation and produces a variety of training materials for our pro bono partners. In addition to educating attorneys, CAIR Coalition partners with other non-profit organizations to provide family safety and raids response trainings for community groups in Maryland and Virginia. We also educate immigrant youth and their families on the immigration consequences of criminal activities. Click here for a current schedule of trainings.
Advocacy
CAIR Coalition advocates for the rights of both detained and non-detained immigrants in collaboration with, and on behalf of, our Coalition partners. We hold regular liaison meetings with representatives from the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice and the Executive Office for Immigration Review. CAIR Coalition also collaborates with national advocacy groups on issues relating to asylum, the enforcement of national detention standards and alternatives to detention.