Advocates Urge City To Keep Funding For Free Legal Services For Immigrants

CHICAGO — Pro-immigration groups and legal aid providers are urging Mayor Brandon Johnson to keep city funding for free legal services for immigrants, concerned the highly sought-after services could be at risk.

Chicago immigrants need legal aid, services and information to navigate their cases, help a loved one and prepare for a potential immigration arrest, immigration advocates said. To meet that need, the city’s Legal Protection Fund provides money to local groups that offer free legal aid and educate immigrant communities about their rights. As of March 31, it’s spent $4.48 million of the $4.5 million it’s allocated for the fund, city data shows.

In recent years, the city used pandemic-era funding to boost support for these services. But that funding is set to expire at the end of this year, advocates said.

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 2027 budget plans include at least $3 million for the fund, said Mayor’s Office spokesperson Griffin Krueger.

Johnson’s administration “remains dedicated to this critical work and the funding of the Chicago Legal Defense Fund while continuing to partner with advocates and community stakeholders to pursue the progressive revenue measures needed to sustain long-term funding solutions,” Krueger said in an emailed statement.

The city started the fund in 2017 to provide legal consultations, representation and information sessions for immigrants in Chicago. Thousands of people have obtained free representation and guidance through the Chicago Legal Protection Fund.

Without an attorney funded by this program, Diana, a 30-year-old immigrant, could not have obtained a special-category visa. A National Immigrant Justice Center attorney provided Diana free services that helped her navigate a lengthy process and respond to changes in immigration policy that impacted her case, she said. Diana asked to be identified only by her first name for fear of being detained by immigration authorities despite having legal status.

From 2019 to 2024, 11 local immigrant-serving and neighborhood organizations received funding to provide legal aid and education services through the fund. The groups provided know-your-rights information to over 304,000 people, referred almost 2,700 people to the National Immigrant Justice Center to receive legal consultations and covered stipends for 1,500 community navigators, according to data shared by the Resurrection Project. The nonprofit was unable to provide data for 2017, 2018 and 2025.

Over the years, the city increased funding to the program thanks to an influx of federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act, said Eréndira Rendón, vice president of immigrant justice for the Resurrection Project.

But, as of May 31, the city had used almost all of the $1.887 billion it’s received in American Rescue Plan Act funds, according to a city budget report. The remaining balance will be used by the end of 2026, in compliance with federal deadlines, according to the report.

As American Rescue Plan Act funds are sunsetting, pro-immigration advocates and legal aid groups said they want the city to commit funding in next year’s budget. The Trump administration has cracked down on legal and illegal immigration, and the need for attorneys and updated guidance has skyrocketed, advocates and legal experts said.

Who The Funding Helps

Cases like Diana’s show why the fund is critical, advocates said.

Diana and her father first applied for a U-visa in 2017. The visa is granted to people who have been victims of certain crimes and who assist authorities in the investigation.

They hired a private attorney to file their application and “continued with their lives” as they awaited an approval that could take years, Diana said. The federal government limits the number of U-visas granted annually to 10,000. Currently, new applicants could wait about 25 years for approval, and the backlog keeps increasing, said Vanessa Esparza-Lopez, associate director of legal services at the National Immigrant Justice Center,

When Diana’s father suddenly died in 2021, Diana and her family were unable to continue paying for a private attorney. She was referred to the National Immigrant Justice Center, which provided an attorney to continue her application.

Having an attorney was key when immigration authorities issued Diana a notice to appear last year. The notice kicks off deportation proceedings, even though Diana had a pending application and protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, Esparza-Lopez said.

Esparza-Lopez helped Diana understand her options at a time when she feared her American dream was over, Diana said. The notice also came as the federal administration reduced protections for U-visa applicants, which Esparza-Lopez had to study to understand how they applied to Diana’s case.

Immigration policies are complicated and change often, forcing attorneys to spend hours studying these decisions and how they could impact their clients, Esparza-Lopez said. Diana’s visa was approved this summer, right before her removal hearing, and she was able to remain in the United States.

Without legal representation, Diana wouldn’t have been able to navigate her case, she said.

She is not alone.

Many immigrants need verified information and attorneys, but they don’t know where to find them, advocates said. This can make the difference between winning their cases and being forced out of the country, they said.

Community navigators — or volunteers who distribute information — are the bridge between immigrant neighbors and legal aid and service providers, said Norma Avila Bautista, manager of community education and advocacy at Erie Neighborhood House.

Navigators regularly hold Know Your Rights and family preparedness plan workshops, helping keep immigrant communities informed and prepared, Avila Bautista said. They connect people seeking attorneys to free services, which are highly needed under the second Trump administration, she said.

That is why at a recent budget roundtable on the Southwest Side, several community navigators asked Johnson to commit funding for these services, she said.

“We’re the reason why many neighbors find the [legal] resources they need,” she said.