National Immigration Law Center

Founded in 1979 as a project of the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, NILC (initially named the National Center for Immigrant Rights) began primarily as a legal services support center. NILC engaged in the litigation of landmark cases throughout the 1980s and played a major role in implementing the 1986 immigration reform law. This marked the beginning of NILC’s evolution from a service provider into a national force in immigrant advocacy.