The U.S. immigration system continuously violates basic fundamentals of American justice, including access to legal counsel. Immigrants who are not U.S. citizens have a right to a lawyer, but they must locate and hire one on their own. Such a task is often difficult or impossible for low-income immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers, particularly those who are detained in facilities with unreliable phone access. The National Immigrant Justice Center's federal litigation work has achieved important reforms in U.S. law to protect immigrants' due process rights.

Valdez Bernal v. Gonzales - NIJC filed an amicus in this case, which argues that in some instances, the statute and Constitution require court-appointed counsel for detained immigrants.