Provide Legal Support

The HIAS Foundation supports HIAS in providing legal services and information, including free legal representation for asylum seekers so that everyone around the world, including displaced people, can have equal access to their legal rights.

Clients around the world, like these in Kenya, are able to access to their legal rights. (Brian Otieno/STORITELLAH)

Overview

As the number of refugees and other forcibly displaced people continues to grow each year, many governments have put policies in place to keep out those seeking safety from persecution, war, and conflict. Most displaced people spend years – and even decades – in legal limbo.

HIAS’ legal protection programs are dedicated to ensuring that displaced people know their rights, have access to protective services, and can navigate the often-complicated legal systems that lead to permanent status and security. With a focus on refugee community empowerment, HIAS works in the United States and around the world to protect the fundamental human rights of displaced people as established in international law. We are particularly focused on ensuring that the most vulnerable — including children, survivors of torture or sexual and domestic violence, and refugees with disabilities — can secure intensive legal aid.

81,500+

people worldwide reached through HIAS legal services in 2024.

Strategies

The HIAS Foundation supports HIAS' legal programs by ensuring legal support work is driven by our commitment of the fundamental rights and core needs of refugees and other forcibly displaced people as they navigate complex legal systems and work to rebuild their lives in a new country.

We achieve this through the following legal interventions:

  • Support displaced people to understand their legal options, make informed decisions, and be able to advocate for themselves.

  • Help clients apply for asylum and other forms of humanitarian and immigration relief to achieve their goals of finding safety, security, and stability.

  • Push systems to be fair, transparent, and to respect human rights through advocacy and strategic litigation in partnership with NGOs, community organizations, and law firms.

Impact

The Hotline Was "Ringing off the Hook"

The U.S.-Mexico border is effectively closed and the asylum system ground to a halt, but there is still plenty of work to do on behalf of asylum seekers.

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