Thanks to our record-breaking Making Justice Real Campaign and a multi-year grant from the Mayor’s Office, Legal Aid was able to expand our immigration team this year and commit new resources to serving DC’s immigrant communities. What started as the Immigrants’ Rights Legal Services Project in 2018 is now its own standalone unit, with four lawyers who have a combined 38 years of experience, plus a fellow and an incoming paralegal. The team represents clients seeking humanitarian relief and protection from removal.  

Spearheading this growth is Deepa Bijpuria, who joined Legal Aid DC in February 2024. With Deepa’s leadership, the new Immigration Law Unit plans to take on more cases and expand our work on legal issues including defensive removal work and asylum.    

With a second Trump administration promising mass deportations, the work of the immigration team will become even more urgent.

In addition to helping individual clients navigate the complexities of the U.S. immigration system, the Legal Aid team has been advocating for policy changes that benefit immigrant communities in the District. We celebrated non-citizen District residents who were able to vote in local elections for the first time. Plus, the Vulnerable Youth Guardianship Protection Act opened new pathways to residency for young immigrants between ages 18-21 who are unable to return to their home country.