Southeast MN Interfaith Immigrant Legal Defense

Southeastern Minnesota Interfaith Immigrant Legal  Defense (SMIILD) is a non-profit organization incorporated under the laws of the State of Minnesota (MS 317A). Our mission is to ensure the availability of immigration legal services for those who live or work in 11 counties in Southeastern Minnesota. 

Our fiscal sponsor is the Diversity Council, a 501c3 organization committed to civic, educational, and health equity. 

We believe in the sanctity of the family and the inherent worth of every individual. We are working to ensure that the ideals of the United States apply to everyone residing in this community. These include the presumption of innocence, the right to legal counsel, equal treatment under the law, the right to be released on bail, and the right to humane treatment by government agents.

We will work to accomplish this by

1. Learning of and responding to the needs of our local immigrant communities.

2. Helping to ensure legal representation and justice for persons involved in the immigration court system. We contract with Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota and The Advocates for Human Rights to accomplish this goal.

SMIILD is made up of members of faith communities or organizations that have endorsed the proposal for an Immigrant Legal Defense Fund or faith communities that have designated themselves as sanctuary or sanctuary support.