Immigration Resources

Updated: January 27, 2025

The goal of this list is to provide resources and information to constituents. This guide is informational and does not reflect or provide legal guidance or advice. If you are seeking immigration guidance and/or legal assistance, please explore the resources below or reach out to those agencies and organizations directly.

As of January 20th, 2025, there will be sweeping changes to immigration, migration, and deportation policies, as well as to the practices of Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents within the scope of their duties. At the most current update of this guide, January 27, 2025, there are many questions that remain unanswered about the scope of the proposed changes. Most links to resources in this guide will lead to updated information, but you should always check when any resource has been last updated before accepting the information that you find there.

Know Your Rights

  • ACLU Know Your Rights Pamphlet: 

Website: https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights 

The American Civil Liberties Union created a pamphlet that addresses what rights you have when you are stopped, questioned, arrested, or searched by law enforcement officers. The booklet is for citizens and non-citizens, with information for non-citizens in a separate section. Please note that while this booklet is informative and accurate, it is not a substitute for legal advice. We've included links to this downloadable pamphlet in several languages below: English | Arabic | Urdu | Farsi | Hindi | Español | Français

  • Immigrant Legal Resource Center Know Your Rights Pamphlet: 

Website: https://www.ilrc.org/resources/community/know-your-rights-toolkit

This resource provides practical tips for things immigrant families can do now to prepare as well as information on rights everyone has in the United States, regardless of immigration status. We’ve included links to the downloadable tips below: English |  Spanish | Chinese | Korean | Arabic | Russian | Tagalog | Vietnamese

Legal Assistance Resources

  • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: USCIS Contact Center, includes a "Live Assistance" option.
  • ACLU of Washington: Due to limited resources, the ACLU-WA is only able to take on a relatively small number of cases – cases that will have a big impact on a large number of people. They offer a legal referral system for all other cases and can connect you to resources.
  • Catholic Immigration Legal Services (Washington): Catholic Immigration Legal Services (CILS) provides legal immigration assistance to low-income residents of Washington. Currently, CILS provides free citizenship/N-400 application assistance to people who are currently on public benefits, and free citizenship and green card assistance to refugees and asylees who have been in the U.S. less than five years. CILS has two office locations: Seattle and Mt. Vernon.
  • Colectiva Legal del Pueblo (Washington): Offers free or low-cost legal services to detained individuals, domestic violence victims, farm workers, human trafficking survivors, individuals who are not in legal immigration status, Individuals with criminal histories, Individuals with physical/mental disabilities, juveniles, lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender, and torture survivors
  • Immigrant Defense Project: IDP engages in targeted litigation, primarily before the federal courts, in support of challenges to deportations and other adverse immigration consequences based on criminal convictions and arrests. They offer many resources, including a legal support helpline
  • Immigrant Justice Network: IJN engages in advocacy, education, technical assistance, training, communications, and litigation to address the needs of those caught in the intersection of the criminal justice and immigration systems. We have established multi-faceted programs to assist criminal defenders, immigration advocates, community-based advocates, and immigrants and their loved ones to effectively expand rights and challenge mass detention and deportation.
  • National Immigration Law Center: One of the leading organizations in the U.S. exclusively dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of low-income immigrants.
  • Northwest Justice Project: "Northwest Justice Project (NJP) is Washington’s largest publicly funded legal aid program. Each year NJP provides critical civil legal assistance and representation to thousands of low-income people in cases affecting basic human needs such as family safety and security, housing preservation, protection of income, access to health care, education and other basic needs. "
  • Northwest Immigrant Rights Project: Northwest Immigrant Rights Project promotes justice by defending and advancing the rights of immigrants through direct legal services, systemic advocacy, and community education. Northwest Immigrant Rights Project strives for justice and equity for all persons, regardless of where they were born.
  • Tacoma Pro Bono - Free Legal Aid: Find more information about how you can get free legal aid on the Tacoma Pro Bono website.
  • Washington Defender Association: WDA is a non-profit professional membership organization for Washington state public defender attorneys, social workers and investigators.
    WDA's Immigration Project works to defend and advance the rights of non-citizens within the criminal justice system, non-citizens facing the immigration consequences of crimes, and non-citizens facing the detrimental impacts of selective state and federal enforcement policies post-9/11.

Local Tacoma Resources

Services: Family services, employment, education

Services: English lessons (ESL), Family services, healthcare, housing, information, job placement, legal aid, naturalization

Services: Behavioral health, child welfare programs, refugee and immigrant services, senior and disability serves, crime victims services

Services: Counseling, detention/deportation aid, family services, immigration law, immigration reform, information, legal aid, naturalization, refugee aid

Services: Education, employment, immigration, advocacy

Services: Education, integration, naturalization, refugee aid, youth

Northwest Justice Project (NJP) is Washington’s largest publicly funded legal aid program. Each year NJP provides critical civil legal assistance and representation to thousands of low-income people in cases affecting basic human needs such as family safety and security, housing preservation, protection of income, access to health care, education and other basic needs.

Find more information about how you can get free legal aid on the Tacoma Pro Bono website