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Immigration is a human issue.
Cincinnati is home to refugees and asylum seekers from around the world – families forced to flee from violence and lawlessness in their home countries.
After making arduous and often dangerous journeys to reach safety in our community, families face a host of challenges including an incredibly complex legal system, possible deportation and family separation, and barriers to employment, housing, and education.
Celebrating 5 years!
The IRLC Story
Letter from our founder
The Immigrant and Refugee Law Center (IRLC) harnesses knowledge to empower our clients and ensure justice for the immigrant and refugee community. Our work is based on a firm commitment to human rights, peace and security.
IRLC is driven by these core values: (1) A deep commitment to human rights – that we are all equal no matter where we come from; (2) Dedication to empowerment - to empowering people to be independent and fulfill their potential as individuals and as part of the community; (3) Ensuring access to justice for immigrants and refugees - who are such an integral part of our community; and (4) Connection - this is very important to me personally, and it’s how we operate as an organization. At IRLC we are a family.
Each year, IRLC expands its commitment to providing pro bono legal services to low-income families navigating our complicated legal system. Increasingly we see a need to protect children that were brought to this country and subsequently trafficked, neglected, abused, or abandoned once here, and we are deepening our partnerships with our schools and child welfare agencies in order to protect the rights of and empower the most vulnerable. We have also expanded our work with unaccompanied children.
IRLC helps local families respond to global crises, from Afghanistan and Ukraine to Venezuela and Haiti and beyond.
Every single person we encounter deserves a real chance at success within the immigration system; they deserve to experience empowering legal services that recognize their courageous journey. That is what IRLC stands for.