About Us

History

The Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM) was founded in 1976 as Oficina Legal, a program of Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS). Oficina Legal established itself as a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 1996 due to federal restrictions on legal aid offices. The agency was later renamed to reflect the increasing diversity of the immigrant population it served. Over the last two decades, ILCM has established itself as Minnesota’s premier provider of free comprehensive immigration legal representation to low-income clients of all nationalities.

In 1996, ILCM opened its first office in the Neighborhood House in St. Paul. In 2004 we moved our main office to the Community Action Center in St. Paul Midway. In 2010, we opened an office in Worthington. In 2015, we expanded our services to Moorhead, and in 2016, we opened our office in Austin. In 2022, ILCM entered into a contract with the state of North Dakota to provide services to refugees, asylees, and Afghan Special Immigrant Visa holders in the Fargo area. ILCM supports these clients with obtaining green cards and ultimately citizenship. ILCM was invited to assist in North Dakota because, currently, there are no other providers of free or low-cost immigration legal services supporting refugee green card cases in North Dakota.

In 2018, ILCM teamed up with Visionaries, a nonprofit documentary producer that highlights organizations creating social change, to film our documentary Indivisible. Together we documented the stories of ILCM, our work, and the immigrant and refugee communities we serve. The documentary was broadcast on public television and reached households in North Dakota, northwestern Minnesota, parts of South Dakota, and Montana. 

 

ILCM’s Case Load Growth

• In 2006 ILCM provided legal services in 1,266 cases. Since then our caseload has grown. In 2020 ILCM worked on 3,792 cases.
• Since 1996, ILCM has provided legal services in approximately 45,000 cases, impacting over 135,000 individuals.
• Over 25 years ILCM has served clients coming from 163 countries, with 39% from Mexico, 26% from countries in Central and South America, 17% from countries in Asia, 16% from countries in Africa, and the remainder from countries in Europe, Oceania, and North America.

ILCM Stories

• October 2022 – “Green Cards for the Family”
• July 2022 – “Welcome New Citizens!”
• November 2021 – “Veena Iyer: Here’s why LEAP High School in St. Paul must remain open”
• January 2021 – “Compassion, Commitment, and the Extra Mile: Isbely McKeen’s Work with Immigrant Women Survivors of Crime”
• December 2020 – “A Traditional Karen Dress, a Pair of High heels, a Pandemic, and an Office Telephone Tree: Shall Ber’s Last Ordeal on the Road to Citizenship”
• June 2020 – “‘I believed that opportunity would open:’ After his refugee journey, Laueh Roland opens opportunities for others”
• January 2020 – “Austin’s Future Filmmaker: Sow Reh”
• December 2019 – José – “To All Those Who Supported Me: A Thank You Letter”
• December 2019 – “ILCM’s Sara Karki named a 2019 Attorney of the Year by Minnesota Lawyer”
• November 2019 – “Melissa Pfeiffer Named One of the Top Women in Finance by Finance & Commerce Newspaper”
• November 2019 – Layiet, Thatcher, and Ninn – “Highlighting Immigrant Stories in Austin, Minnesota”
• September 2019 – Pwe Ku – “So Grateful: For Refuge, Citizenship, College, and Family”
• October 2018 – “Rosa’s Story: Keep My Mom Here!”
• September 2018 – Argenis, Valentina, Erika, and Chris – “Citizenship: A Family Affair”
• September 2018 – Oogi – “Mongolia to Minnesota: One New Citizen’s Story”
• April 2018 – “Daniel’s story: Living the Dream”
• March 2018 – “Anne Applebaum, ILCM Win Statewide Recognition for Pro Bono Work”
• March 2018 – “Fighting trafficking and abuse: Camila’s story”
• September 2017 – “Juventino Meza: ‘I’m ready for what’s to come.'”
• April 2017 – “One new citizen’s journey: Norma Garza Montemayor”
• March 2017 – “One life at a time: Four-year-old girl reunited with family through ILCM’s work”
• November 2016 – “Sofia’s Citizenship Story”
• March 2016 – “Martha Receives Partner in Justice Award”
• December 2014 – Jacobo Gabriel Tomas – “ILCM Helps Client to Stay with His Wife and Children in the U.S.”