About Us

Our Mission

MISSION

At the heart of the mission of the Long Island Immigration Clinic, is a commitment to be a welcoming presence to all undocumented immigrants who live on Long Island and are in need of our support and services.

This mission has a three prong focus:

To assist these individuals in gaining legal status to remain in this country,
To educate them in their legal rights,
To guide each person in becoming successful advocates on their own behalf in court proceedings, as well as the broader immigration forum and the communities in which they live.

OUR VALUES

The Long Island Immigration Clinic pledges that we will uphold these values:

To cherish the dignity of each person, sharing mutual respect, non-judgment and compassionate support to one another– as immigrant friend, staff, volunteer, advisory board member, and all others we encounter in our work;
To treat as sacred all information shared at the clinic with the utmost confidentiality;
To foster and build community among all with whom we share our mission.

VISION

At a time when the challenges of global migration are prominent in the metro New York area and nationally, the Long Island Immigration Clinic will adapt and enhance its model of providing comprehensive, community-centered, trauma-informed services to meet the needs of the Long Island community.

History

The Long Island Immigration Clinic had been a vision of immigration advocates on Long Island for several years, most particularly since 2016 when many protections and laws were repealed that benefited those seeking asylum in tis country. In response to the increase of arrests and detention of undocumented persons in ICE raids on Long Island, a number of organizations, including members of the LIIC Advisory Board, became involved in the creation of a Rapid Response Network, to be able to mobilize quickly when these unannounced raids would occur in individuals’ communities. Volunteers were trained in Accompaniment work, walking alongside and empowering undocumented immigrants to represent themselves at federal court hearings and other appointments.

In September 2020, an Advisory Board was formed of representatives of organizations with extensive networks in the immigrant community to begin the groundwork and raise funds to establish the clinic. The Long Island Immigration Clinic officially launched in the first Quarter of 2022 and is now a program under the sponsorship of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Brentwood, New York.