Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) is a non-profit legal services organization in Washington state.
NWIRP's mission is to promote justice by defending and advancing the rights of immigrants through direct legal services, systemic advocacy, and community education.
[2][3] NWIRP has grown significantly in scope and currently serves more than 10,000 low-income immigrants per year from more than 100 countries across Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, Eastern and Western Europe and Africa.
The Tacoma Office originally focused solely on serving persons detained at the Northwest Detention Center (owned and operated by the GEO Group), but now also provides representation to non-detained immigrant communities in Western Washington.
[8][9] NWIRP provides direct representation to individuals who are applying for political asylum, family visas, lawful status under the Violence Against Women Act, and naturalization or citizenship.
In addition, supported by a grant from the Executive Office for Immigration Review of the U.S. Department of Justice, NWIRP provides legal orientation sessions to all persons detained at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, who are placed in removal proceedings.
[10] Additionally, NWIRP regularly hosts webinars and trainings for immigrant rights advocates and attorneys.
[12] These are generally impact litigation cases, designed to affect large numbers of people and bring about meaningful social change through setting precedents.
The decision severely restricts judiciary's ability to require that the executive branch comply with the INA.
[14][15][16] NWIRP also joined with former NWIRP attorney Robert Pauw in successfully petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to vacate a Ninth Circuit opinion that had barred federal district courts from reviewing danger determinations in bond hearings.
2023) (en banc decision overturning a prior NWIRP victory in Alfred v. Garland, 13 F.4th 980 (9th Cir.
2010), where the court issued injunctive relief requiring appointed counsel at government expense for detained persons in removal proceedings with mental impairment issues (the first case requiring appointed counsel at government expense for persons in immigration proceedings); Roshandel v. Chertoff, 554 F.Supp.2d 1194 (W.D.Wash.
2008), the first certified class in the nation challenging background checks which indefinitely delayed naturalization applications; Nightingale v. U.S.
2019), the district court granted a permanent injunction on behalf of a nationwide class of individuals seeking copies of their immigration files, bringing a claim under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the first time a class was certified bringing a FOIA claim; Mendez Rojas v. Johnson, 305 F. Supp.
In addition, NWIRP has brought litigation on behalf of itself and the clients it served in challenges that ultimately defended the rights of immigrants across the country.
The district court issued a preliminary injunction, requiring that Defendants permit NWIRP and other nonprofit agencies to provide limited legal services.
NWIRP previously presented the Golden Door Award to one organization or individual for their outstanding work promoting justice and dignity for immigrants and refugees.