Immigrant Justice Project

CAIR-WA’s Immigrant Justice Project was created in response to pervasive exclusive immigration policies that target Muslims

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Donate to CAIR-WA’s Immigrant Justice Project

Our vision is a state where immigration is equally and equitably accessible for all people, regardless of their ethnic and/or religious identities. At CAIR-WA we believe that high-quality, language accessible, and culturally competent immigration legal services should be available to individuals of any income level. All people deserve the chance to seek safety, opportunity, and connection to family.

Our mission is to provide immigration services specifically for Muslims in Washington state who face barriers to immigration due to their ethnic and/or religious identities and to advocate for equitable immigration policies in our local, state, and national governments.

Who we serve now:

As of June 2024, CAIR-WA is accepting new clients who need help in the following areas.

  • Removal defense
  • Case delays or security concerns
  • Seeking affirmative asylum
  • Delays with naturalization (US citizenship) application and meet ALL of the following criteria.
      • Muslim individuals/ families currently living in Washington State who are awaiting a decision on their naturalization application (form N-400).
      • More than six months have passed since filing the form N-400, with either no interview scheduled yet OR it has been at least 90 days since the interview occurred and no decision has been made on the naturalization application yet.
      • Are not currently represented by an attorney in the naturalization case. We cannot assist if you are currently represented by an attorney in your naturalization case.

Know your rights as an immigrant in Washington state:

  • Learn about your basic rights on our website knowyourrightswa.com, which is available in English, Dari (listed as “Persian”), and Pashto.
  • In Washington state, immigration status is a protected class. Read more about what that means here.
  • More Know Your Rights materials from our partners at NWIRP here.

Learn more

Fighting discrimination against Muslims in immigration is an ongoing battle. Muslims have historically been subject to exclusionary immigration policies, including the following.

Immigration and travel make up over 25% of the calls for help that CAIR-WA receives. Muslims in America are incredibly diverse as far as race, ethnicity, and experience or lack of with migration or immigration. Many Muslims are second, third, or fourth generation immigrants, and likewise many Muslims are converts (reverts) or the descents of converts (reverts).

Here in Washington, we have many Muslims who are refugees, or the descents of refugees, due to Washington’s longstanding openness to refugee resettlement in the state. Many of those refugees have been Muslims from Somalia and Ethiopia, Vietnam and Cambodia, Palestine and China, Iran and Afghanistan, and many more.

“Since 1975, Washington has welcomed nearly 150,000 refugees from 70 different countries,” stated Governor Jay Inslee who pushed back hard against the Muslim Ban that dramatically lower refugee resettlement numbers in the past few years. However, now the numbers are rising again, especially with the new arrived Afghans exceeding 4,000 individuals in Washington alone.

Read more about Refugee and Immigration assistance in Washington here.

Local Partners

Resettlement Agency Partners

Donate to CAIR-WA’s Immigrant Justice Project