Latest news

Victories

Press Mentions

Connect

Our story

Gautam Jagannath and Emily Abraham, fresh out of law school, created SJC in 2012 to address the lack of affordable and free high-quality legal representation for families in removal proceedings.

The experience both founders had before and during law school informed them that many immigrant families were facing deportation proceedings alone, unrepresented, due to a lack of financial means to pay the extremely high cost of private attorneys.

our Mission

SJC’s mission is to ensure low-income immigrants, asylum seekers, unaccompanied children, young dreamers, and displaced families are provided with direct legal services and high-quality legal representation in court at little to no cost.

Our vision

SJC envisions and works towards an immigration system where all non-citizens have access to a more empowering and compassionate path to citizenship for free. We believe this is the only way to ensure that justice is served.

OUR VALUES

We value an inclusive society and believe families must stay together, not be divided by borders and deportations.

People are not illegal. No human being should ever have to fight for their human rights to be honored and respected.

SJC works towards an immigration system where all noncitizens are provided free and high-quality legal representation in court. We believe this is the only way to ensure that justice is served.

SJC’s logos

Social media toolkit and Style Guide

High resolution photos

Our awards & badges

Our Promise Lives

November 8th, 2024

In response to the recent election, SJC reaffirms its promise to supporting immigrant communities, standing strong against anti-immigrant rhetoric, and continuing the fight for justice and inclusion.

CHANGEMAKERS SUMMIT 2022

March 25th - March 30th

SJC participated in the UnidosUS Changemakers Summit, where we met with legislators, community leaders, partners, and decision-makers to push for long-waited positive changes for our immigrant communities in California.

WEBINAR: “PERSPECTIVES ON HOUSING, HOMELESSNESS AND MASS INCARCERATION IN THE AGE OF COVID-19”

March 1st, 2022

Our Founder and Executive Director, Gautam Jagannath, was invited as a panelist for the webinar coordinated by the National Lawyers Guild during the Week Against Mass Incarceration. Gautam shared his expertise on how the immigrant community was affected during the Covid-19 pandemic.

we are a Unidos us affiliate

July 15th, 2021

SJC joined the UnidosUS Affiliate Network for our commitment to helping Latinx and Hispanic communities thrive across California.

Champions of Justice

June 24th, 2021

SJC received the Champion of Justice Award by OneJustice for its commitment to transforming California’s legal aid system and promoting access to justice throughout the state.

SJC celebrates its 9th year anniversary

May 8th, 2021

For 9 years we've devoted our lives to helping asylum seekers regain their power and strength. We've won over 300 asylum cases, but we're not done yet, we won't stop until every immigrant and refugee is welcomed with dignity.

Virtual clinics

2020-2021

Our clients are receiving remote legal assistance in filling out their Adjustment of Status forms and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status petitions.

Inside the chaos of immigration court

September 2020

Journalist Gabriel Thompson interviews our Founders Emily Abraham and Gautam Jagannath for Longreads

For Survivors of Domestic Violence, Gaining Asylum Just Got Tougher

July 4th, 2018

SJC’s Founder and Legal Director, Emily Abraham, interviewed by East Bay Express for their article about how backlogs make asylum cases harder to navigate when you face an already slow and complex immigration system.