On January 28, 2017, hundreds of lawyers descended on JFK Airport to help those caught in the Muslim Travel Ban. Three weeks later, we met in a law firm conference room, scared by the recent and upcoming developments, but energized by what we had accomplished by working together. Out of that meeting, the Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative, or I-ARC, was born.

After three years of being run as a volunteer-led organization, we are launching a stand-alone non-profit! Our mission is clear: to mobilize New York’s legal representatives to better serve our communities, to organize our resources and strategies because we are stronger when we work together, and to resist anti-immigrant policies by shining a light on injustices and confronting inequalities faced by our communities in the legal system.

Join us September 21st to celebrate our successes and hear what's coming next. We will have a keynote address by Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, who was with us at the airport that first night, and we will host a panel discussion on one of the most important issues we are confronting this summer: our role as legal advocates at the intersection of immigrant rights and racial justice.

We've never been prouder to be part of this profession, to have the tough conversations and fight the tough fights. Now, can't wait to show you what comes next!