Nilc Immigrant Justice Fund

ESTABLISHED IN 2013 AS THE 501(C)(4) AFFILIATE OF THE NATIONAL IMMIGRATION LAW CENTER (NILC), THE NILC IMMIGRANT JUSTICE FUND'S (IJF) MISSION IS FOCUSED ON BUILDING IMMIGRANT POWER AND ADVANCING EFFECTIVE AND FAIR IMMIGRATION POLICY THROUGH CIVIC ENGAGEMENT CAMPAIGNS. THE IJF RELIES ON ITS EXTENSIVE CONNECTIONS WITH ADVOCACY GROUPS NATIONWIDE, ADVOCACY EXPERIENCE, EXPERTISE ON ISSUES THAT AFFECT IMMIGRANTS' DAILY LIVES, AND DISTINCTIVE USE OF POLICY, LEGAL, AND COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGIES TO ENSURE THAT IMMIGRANTS' RIGHTS ADVOCATES HAVE A POWERFUL IMPACT ON THE SHAPE AND NATURE OF IMMIGRATION REFORM POLICIES THAT COME UNDER CONSIDERATION IN CONGRESS AND IN STATES AND LOCALITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

1. MESSAGING RESEARCH AND CANDIDATE EDUCATION: LAST YEAR, THE NILC IMMIGRANT JUSTICE FUND (IJF) INITIATED ANOTHER PHASE OF ITS QUALITATIVE RESEARCH INTO THE MINDSETS OF PERSUADABLE VOTERS. THIS INCLUDED CONDUCTING FOCUS GROUPS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT MESSAGES MOVE VOTERS IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATES, AND DEVELOPING AND PUBLICIZING A POLL IN ADVANCE OF THE 2022 STATE OF THE UNION PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS TO MEASURE SUPPORT FOR A RANGE OF PRO-IMMIGRANT POLICIES AMONG LIKELY VOTERS IN THE 2022 MIDTERM ELECTIONS. WHEN THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCED IT WOULD END THE TRUMP-ERA USE OF TITLE 42 TO HALT THE ASYLUM PROCESS AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER, THE IJF POLLED LIKELY MIDTERM VOTERS IN SIX STATES CRITICAL TO THE PENDING LEGISLATIVE FIGHT AND RELEVANT TO THE MID-TERM ELECTIONS, TESTING PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR THE ADMINISTRATION'S DECISION AND A VARIETY OF PERSUASION MESSAGES TO DETERMINE THE MOST EFFECTIVE TALKING POINTS TO HELP POLICYMAKER CHAMPIONS COUNTER THE OPPOSITION'S IMMIGRATION-RELATED FEAR-MONGERING. THE IJF ALSO SHARED THESE FINDINGS WITH A BROADER GROUP OF MOVEMENT PARTNERS TO HELP FACILITATE A UNIFIED, STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS APPROACH ON THESE ISSUES. FINALLY, THE IJF WORKED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO EDUCATE CANDIDATES, THEIR CAMPAIGN STAFF, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS ON ITS ADVOCACY PRIORITIES SO THAT THEY HAD THE INFORMATION AND TOOLS THEY NEED TO BOLDLY CHAMPION IMMIGRANT INCLUSION AS PART OF THEIR POLICY PLATFORMS.

APART FROM MESSAGING RESEARCH AND CANDIDATE EDUCATION, THE IJF FOCUSED ITS ATTENTION LAST YEAR ON OUTLINING LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY PRIORITIES TO MOVE FORWARD DURING THE TRANSITION TO THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION. THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, IJF COORDINATED WITH ALLIES TO ADVOCATE FOR FEDERAL IMMIGRATION REFORMS THAT WOULD PROVIDE EXPANSIVE PATHWAYS TO CITIZENSHIP FOR THE ESTIMATED 11 MILLION UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S., PUSHING FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO PROPOSED BILLS TO REMOVE HARMFUL CRIMINALIZING PROVISIONS AND BARRIERS TO IMMIGRANTS' ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE AND THE SAFETY NET, EXECUTING TARGETED DIGITAL ADVOCACY EFFORTS, AND RAISING THE VISIBILITY OF IMPORTANT LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY EFFORTS.