We are dedicated to ensuring that people who have lived experience with the immigration system lead SCIJ’s decision-making at all levels, from the Board to staff to students and community members involved in SCIJ programming. This leadership reflects the diversity of intersecting identities within our communities, including race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. We strive to amplify these voices to ensure all perspectives are represented and centered in our work.

While SCIJ’s approach is unique, the idea of students being leaders within the immigrant rights movements is not new. For models of student organizing, we look to the Chicano Student Movement of the ‘60’s advocating for Chicano youth, the United Mexican American Students of the ‘70’s and ‘80’s marching for labor and education rights, and organizations like United We Dream leading the fight for DACA and the abolition of ICE from the late 1990s to present day. 

SCIJ is building on this rich history and uplifting students as leaders by ensuring they are spearheading SCIJ’s mission and resourced to succeed.

We recognize that students’ experiences with systems of oppression, including racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, religious discrimination, xenophobia, ageism, classism, and ethnocentrism, shape their unique perspectives and strengths as leaders. With students bringing these varieties of backgrounds and intersectional identities, SCIJ aims to build an inclusive and powerful student movement where any student in our community can lead.

Immigration and race have been intertwined throughout history and to fully advocate for change in immigration is to also commit to dismantling these systems of harm. This work must also recognize and address the interconnected forms of oppression—such as sexism, ableism, homophobia, and transphobia—that shape the experiences of immigrants. SCIJ’s commitment to racial justice exists on the personal, community, institutional, and policy levels.

We must be committed to addressing barriers to participation in community organizing, such as transportation, food, childcare, accessibility for people with disabilities, or creating affirming spaces for LGBTQ+ individuals. Meeting all of our community’s needs is an insurmountable task for any one organization, but SCIJ can ensure that any community member can show up and be a part of change. Part of this work involves partnering with others to meet our community’s needs and the other part is SCIJ committing to creating a community that is accessible. We seek to continuously evaluate and adapt these strategies to meet evolving community needs.

Non-attorneys have been working to provide legal support to communities throughout history, from Freedom Schools providing legal rights education during the Civil Rights Movement, to activists fighting for the legal rights of people living with HIV/AIDS during the 80’s and 90’s, to new programs recently launched in a few states that will allow licensed non-lawyers to provide limited legal services. SCIJ’s approach with students is a continuation of this history. 

We are living through a time where attacks on immigrants and the need for legal services are at an all-time high. This will require us to be resilient and creative problem-solvers, as those before us were forced to do as well. Our priority whenever we are doing legal work is to ensure we do no harm. We will not let perfection be the enemy of progress, while also ensuring that our pursuit of progress never overshadows our commitment to our community’s safety.

Our ability to create the future we want to see is dependent on us doing this work in collaboration with others. We are not alone in these trenches and we must find ways to work together, for our collective intelligence, courage, and power is essential to win.

We believe that legal advocacy is a core component to meeting the immediate needs of our community while also being a tool to bring together people to organize for change. Without legal support, our community cannot organize. Without organizing, our community will not be freed. 

SCIJ dreams of a world where shared leadership is commonplace and leaders are in abundance; and where hierarchical, top-down leadership is of the past. This means giving power away, investing in building new leaders, and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to lead and contribute to decision-making processes.

SCIJ’s programming is rooted in inclusivity and equity. We train students, provide legal support to asylum seekers, and organize immigrants across all races, genders, abilities, sexual orientations, religions, nationalities, ages, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. SCIJ seeks to foster a collective movement that embraces the strength of diverse lived experiences, ensuring no one is left behind in the fight for justice.