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Immigrant Legal Defense

EIN 84-1833586 · Oakland, CA

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood85 out of 100GovernanceStrong93 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

IMMIGRANT LEGAL DEFENSE'S MISSION IS TO PROMOTE JUSTICE THROUGH THE PROVISION OF LEGAL REPRESENTATION TO UNDERSERVED IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES.

Income
$14.2 million
Spending
$9.5 million
Spent on programs
88%
Reserves
4 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 64%
Employees
48
Volunteers
450
Highest pay
$233,402, co-exec dir

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 74% of charities in its peer group (crime and legal services, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 4.0 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 5% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 33% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 63% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    88% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 1 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 26% of charities in its peer group (crime and legal services, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    18 of 25

    3 of 3 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (1)
  1. $8.4 million spent. ILDs Educational-Legal Partnerships in California focus on providing free, high-quality immigration legal services to our states students from kindergarten through higher education. By partnering with school systems, including nine California State University (CSU) campuses, thirty-four California Community College campuses, the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), West Contra Costa County Unified School District and partnerships with schools in Sonoma County ILD is able to address the urgent, gaping immigration legal needs of youth, immigrant families, unaccompanied minors and asylum seekers. Through these partnerships, we are building a sustainable and replicable service delivery model that connects our clients with the legal, educational, social and mental health services necessary to enable clients to focus on their studies and to create real and lasting change in their lives. In 2025, ILD continued our CSU Immigration Services Project, our free legal services and education delivery project in collaboration with the CA Department of Social Services (CDSS) and 9 campuses of the CA State University (CSU) system: San Francisco, San Jose, East Bay, Maritime, Stanislaus, Fresno, Bakersfield, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo as well as 34 California Community Colleges (CCC) that are located in the most remote regions of CA. In 2025, ILD attorneys provided 2, 434 individual consultations to students, faculty/staff, and family members. Through our higher educational partnership projects, ILD accepted for full-scope representation 1, 800 new cases for full scope representation in relief that includes DACA, asylum, U visa, T visa, SIJS, VAWA, removal defense, family petitions, adjustment of status petitions based on various grounds, and naturalization. In 2025, ILD conducted over 150 virtual presentations attended by over 10, 000 individuals throughout the CSUs and CCC systems, including large presentations, small campus student group events, faculty/staff, or student government meetings, all held virtually by Zoom, Facebook Live, Instagram Stories, and system-wide webinars; participated in dozens of meetings with campus student-leaders and faculty/staff for in-depth discussions on requested immigration law and policy topics. In 2025, ILD also continued our partnerships with TK-12 unified school districts in Oakland, West Contra Costa County and in Sonoma County. ILD attorneys represent over 1000 families, young adults and children in their court proceedings in seeking asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, and U or T visa relief as victims of violent crime or human trafficking. In 2025, ILD attorneys represented 70 detained individuals in their full proceedings, which have in several cases also included habeas petitions relating to prolonged detention and conditions violations and also has included representation before the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. We also represent dozens of Franco class members as National Qualified Representative Program appointed counsel. In 2025, ILD continued our role as mentoring attorneys for 10 fellows in the California Immigrant Justice Fellowship and aims to expand the number of immigration attorneys at Central Valley and Central Coast nonprofits serving immigrants in removal proceedings. We also assist with fellowship program administration and training for all of the fellows. ILD continues to serve as lead attorney for Northern California, the Central and Central Coast for organizations who receive removal defense funding through CDSS. In this role, ILD attorneys serve as the Jurisdictional Capacity Building Organization for all of the CDSS removal defense grantees - we provide intensive mentoring for all attorneys at any organizations that received removal defense funding. In addition to daily one on one office hours, we provide case management assistance, brief and other legal filing review and also conduct training on all immigration court procedural and removal defense substantive topics. As of July 2025, ILD has also served as the Legal Services Support Coordinator for CDSSs recently launched Regional Network Hubs for Immigrant Families Project (RNH). RNH brings together non profit immigration legal services organizations across California by organizing the state into 11 centralized hubs through which immigration services, rapid response and educational rights for community members can be coordinated.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since November 2019.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.