Immigrant Justice Leadership Academy
Developing, strengthening, and sustaining community-centered legal services.
Semillas Track Spring 2026 Application is now open!
Immigrant Justice Leadership Academy (IJLA) is an innovative solution to meet a critical need for immigration legal services. IJLA serves as a central point for Illinois organizations statewide seeking to develop, strengthen, and sustain community-centered community navigator and legal service programs.
TRP’s IJLA works to create a pipeline of immigration legal representatives while simultaneously increasing capacity for immigrant serving organizations in Illinois, with the goal of ensuring that immigrants in Illinois have access to ethical legal education and representation and that a pipeline of professionals who are representative of immigrant communities have access to career pathways.
Learning Labs
Launched in March 2024, the IJLA Learning Labs is the newest initiative of the Immigrant Justice Leadership Academy at The Resurrection Project. The Learning Labs create a platform for Illinois organizations to develop, sustain, and strengthen their community centered immigration legal clinics. The goal of the IJLA Learning Labs is to assist nonprofits in Illinois establish and grow immigration legal clinics through a series of trainings and convenings.
The Need:
425,000 undocumented immigrants in Illinois
50,000+ newly arrived immigrants in Illinois since August 2022
As of 2024, 46 organizations are recognized by the Department of Justice in Illinois
There is 1 legal representative for every 1,536 undocumented Illinoisans
Program Design
The Learning Labs includes trainings from experts in clinic management, as well as intentional spaces for peer-learning and the relationship building necessary for ethical, effective, and sustainable programs. Organizations will leave the Learning Labs with tools and a concrete plan to establish an immigration legal clinic.
The next series of Learning Labs are set to take place in Spring of 2026. Apply using the link below.
Funding for the IJLA Learning Labs is provided by the Illinois Department of Human Services, Office of Welcoming Centers for Refugee and Immigrant Services.
Learning Labs: Semillas Track
Semillas Track participants will be required to attend two in-person trainings, culminating in an overnight retreat, which will incorporate trainings on:
staff recruitment and retention
fundraising
partnering with community organizers
leadership development
non-profit and personnel management
For more information, please contact:
Lilia Escobar
Capacity Building Program Manager, Immigrant Justice Partnerships, The Resurrection Project
lescobar@resurrectionproject.org
Learning Labs: Semillas Track Spring 2026
Application deadline is Friday, December 5th at 11:59pm CST.
The IJLA Learning Labs are geared towards Executive Directors and Program Directors. TRP will cover the cost of two (2) staff members to attend the trainings.
The in-person training dates for Semillas Track Spring 2026 are:
Friday, March 6, 2026
Friday, March 27, 2026
Overnight retreat: April 23 - 24, 2026
Is your organization interested in participating?
Click here to watch our 2026 Semillas Info Session.
Use passcode: Nje*5$1L