Amica Center for Immigrant Rights

When it comes to litigation against ICE, you have to win and then win again. We won a preliminary injunction in December, ordering DHS to stop their policy and practice of warrantless arrests without probable cause in DC. Arrests decreased significantly after the PI, but we learned through monthly arrest reports in January and February that ICE was continuing to arrest folks without adequate (or any) analysis of whether they are an “escape risk.” ICE also issued a new nationwide policy in January instructing their officers to follow a plainly incorrect probable cause standard. So we filed a motion to enforce the PI, and the federal judge just granted it this week. The stellar opinion is a comprehensive takedown of the “Lyons memo” and a compelling criticism of ICE’s “arrest first, ask questions later” policy. Immigration arrests in DC are now the lowest they’ve been since the beginning of Trump 2.0. We at Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, along with our awesome co-counsel from NIP, ACLU, CASA, WLC, and Covington, will fight to keep it that way. https://lnkd.in/ee8UiQVn

We’re excited to announce the drop of our limited-edition apparel capsule, The Monarch Collection, made with Guerrilla FC! Inspired by monarch butterfly migration, this capsule brings celebration and joy to the forefront. At a time when immigrants are being attacked, separated, and detained at an alarming rate, the stories we are telling with this collection are ones of courage and resilience. Proceeds from this collection will go to Amica Center to help fund legal representation for immigrant children and adults facing detention or deportation. Wear the movement 🦋 https://lnkd.in/eH2YWCmm Photo credit: Jared Soares

A huge thank you to the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington DC for recognizing Amica Center as the Community Service Partner Award recipient this year.     Amica Center is committed to ensuring every person in detention or at risk of deportation has an attorney by their side.    Special thanks to Samantha Hsieh and Atenas Burrola for accepting the award on Amica Center’s behalf!

Atenas Burrola, Deputy Program Director at Amica Center, had the opportunity to speak on a panel highlighting LGBTQ+ pro bono opportunities in DC. Thank you to The Hispanic Bar Association of DC (HBA-DC), Baker Botts, and The District of Columbia LGBTQ+ Bar Association for putting on an amazing panel!  

Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, @guerrilla_fc and Amica Center are partnering to uplift stories of immigrants impacted by detention and deportation—stories rooted in courage, resilience, and the drive to belong. Come celebrate the release of the Monarch Collection, an apparel capsule inspired by immigrant stories and the movement carried through football. All proceeds from the capsule go towards Amica Center’s work! Register at bit.ly/inmotionevent or click the link in our bio.

For nearly two decades, the government has funded legal services for immigrant children, and only nonprofit organizations have provided those services. But now, for-profit companies want to make money off the legal support immigrant kids receive. What happens when a program designed to help children must also make a profit? That profit will come at the expense of the children. Read the op-ed in The Philadelphia Inquirer by Michael Lukens, Executive Director at Amica Center, and Jim Sandman, distinguished lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.  https://lnkd.in/eTVqsxhH  

Amica Center CEO Kathy Doan presented at the Westmoreland Congregational United Church of Christ Social Justice and Action Board panel to educate the public and organize community support for our immigrant neighbors. Thank you to everyone who joined! 

ICE has contracted a private firm, with documented abuses including torture, to find and deport unaccompanied immigrant children. “This all seems like a ploy to do two things: one, find either kids or their sponsors to arrest and deport. Or, two, scare children into self-deporting,” said Michael Lukens, the Executive Director of the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights. This is devastating. This is deplorable. Trump’s ruthless attack on immigrants, including some of the most vulnerable children, must end.  Read the article: https://lnkd.in/eDQsjnEP

Adina Appelbaum, Program Director of Amica Center’s Immigration Impact Lab, presented last week at the Federal Bar Association Immigration Section Conference, speaking about impact litigation in the current immigration climate. Thank you to the other panelists, Lori Adams, Ozlem Barnard, and Larry Burman! 

Immigration judges are conducting sham bond hearings, disregarding evidence, and sometimes having pre-determined outcomes. We won the first-ever victory in Georgia against these sham bond hearings, sending a clear message to the government that they cannot violate fundamental rights and get away with it.