Immigration Judge Joseph Dierkes speaking at the Refugee and Immigrant Program annual Asylum Conference

The Advocates for Human Rights seeks to promote and protect the human rights of asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants.  International human rights law requires the fair, just and humane treatment of all persons in the United States - regardless of immigration status.

The Advocates provides access to free legal services in approximately 1000 immigration cases annually.  Volunteer involvement is at the core of The Advocates' mission.  Hundreds of trained volunteers provide pro bono legal representation, expert medical and psychological evaluations, and interpretation and translation services to The Advocates' asylum clients.  Immigration attorneys serve as asylum attorney mentors, staff legal advice clinics, and serve on rotation at detained hearings.

The Advocates immigration legal services include:

• Asylum Project: Provides free immigration legal services to indigent asylum seekers in the Upper Midwest who have fled or are in danger of persecution, torture or execution if forced to return to their home countries through a trained panel of pro bono attorneys.
• Legal Advice Clinic Project:  Provides brief immigration legal advice and referrals at weekly and monthly walk-in clinics, and to clients of the Center for Victims of Torture and the Minnesota AIDS Project.
• Minnesota Detention Project:  Provides brief consultation and representation to immigration detainees in Minnesota.
• Minnesota Asylum Network:  Provides free expert medical and psychological evaluations and testimony in support of asylum claims through a trained panel of health care professionals.
• University of Minnesota Law School Immigration Clinic:  Refugee and Immigrant Program attorneys serve as adjunct faculty of the University of Minnesota Law School, supervising students in the Immigration Clinic. 

The Advocates is co-chair of the Detention Watch Network. The Detention Watch Network (DWN) is the only national coalition in the United States that addresses the detention crisis head-on and helps detainees and their loved ones make their voices heard. Formed in 1997 in response to the rapid growth of the immigration detention system in the United States, DWN is a network of individuals and organizations working in support of, and in service to, immigrants in detention.

The Advocates for Human Rights partners with Pro Bono Net to provide resources to immigration legal service providers and pro bono attorneys. Asylum Project volunteers have access to Pro Bono Net's Asylum Practice Area and receive practice updates to ensure volunteers have the information needed to represent our clients. The new Immigration Advocates Network (IAN) is a free exciting and innovative resource for non-profit advocates, organizers, and service providers.

The Advocates for Human Rights offers a wide range of educational materials related to immigrant rights and immigration policy at Energy of a Nation.org.  Download fact sheets and lesson plans, take the Immigrant Quotient Quiz, and sign up to receive action alerts about immigration policy.