AILA DREAM Defenders (AD2)

8/4/11 AILA Doc. No. 11080268.

PLEASE NOTE: As of May 2014, this program is not currently active but may resume in the future based on need.

AILA DREAM Defenders (AD2) is a dynamic new collaboration between the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild (NIPNLG), the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), DREAM Activist, United We Dream (UWD), the National Immigrant Youth Alliance (NIYA), and Educators for Fair Consideration (E4FC).

The goal of AD2 is to provide expert immigration pro bono legal assistance and advocacy support to DREAMers – young adults who would qualify for relief under the DREAM Act if it were to become law and who are unable to pay for an attorney. Over the past decade since the DREAM Act was introduced, AILA members and immigrant youth advocates have fought to obtain access to legal status and higher education for DREAMers. Time and again, Congress has failed to pass this important piece of legislation that would ultimately strengthen the economy, the military and the fabric of the United States. As a result, immigration attorneys who represent DREAMers have been forced to pursue creative legal strategies to push DHS, DOJ and the White House to do the right thing for these “undocumented Americans.”

AD2 is a way for AILA members to support this movement and to provide much needed pro bono legal services to high achieving immigrant youth who seek to fulfill their potential in the country they call home.

For more information on AD2 or other pro bono opportunities, contact Susan Timmons at stimmons@aila.org.