The Gulf Coast Immigration Collaborative (GCIC) formed in 2020 to end imprisonment and deporations. GCIC provides detained individuals with free legal support to request their release from ICE custody. Our network of volunteers, pro bono attorneys and non-profit organizations work together in disputes with ICE in order to secure release from immigration detention.
Guided by local leadership and the requests of individuals detained, the Gulf Coast Immigration Collaborative formed in the spring of 2020. As ICE rapidly expanded its detention infrastructure in the south, our multi-organization project was forged to facilitate regional collaboration among advocates seeking to meet the need for legal support.
GCIC core active members consist of Immigration Services and Legal Advocacy (ISLA), Mid-South Immigration Advocates (MIA), Project Ishmael, and Innovation Law Lab. The project draws on lessons from similar regional collaborations, such as the El Paso Immigration Collaborative.
We provide detained individuals with free legal support and aggregate regional information of detained populations toward the goal of ending immigration detention altogether.
GCIC staff and volunteers work together to prepare release requests to ICE for persons detained in the following detention centers:
GCIC also has local ties with Louisiana Advocates for Immigrants in Detention, Freedom for Immigrants and the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative
Learn more about how to support our collaborative and get involved.
Apart from material support for the project, we rely on committed volunteers to support folks detained and their families. The BorderX project of Innovation Law Lab integrates volunteer legal assistance for completing release requests to ICE, and seeks Spanish speakers and other supporters to get involved. Fill out the BorderX onboarding/application form if interested!
If you or someone you know is detained in Louisiana or Mississippi, and would like to be referred to our project for possible legal representation, please call one of our core partner’s hotline. At minimum, GCIC will need the following information:
GCIC cannot guarantee legal assistance or legal representation for a case.