Seattle Legal Defense Network

Find Out if You're Eligible for Free Legal Services

The Seattle Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs' (OIRA) Immigrant Legal Defense Network (LDN) provides legal advice and representation to low-income residents, students, and workers during immigration proceedings. The overarching goal of our program is to increase access to legal services for immigrants and refugees to protect themselves from deportation and remain safely in their communities with the ones they love.  

Why legal support is essential:

  • There is no right to a government-provided attorney in immigration court. People who appear in immigration court must pay for an attorney or go without representation while navigating complex rules and regulations against well-trained U.S. government attorneys, often in a language they do not understand. Despite the critical role of legal counsel, 49 percent of all people appearing in immigration court are unrepresented by counsel, 51 percent of detained people face proceedings without counsel, and 57 percent of children had no attorney. 
  • Representation helps keep families and communities together. Studies have revealed that immigrants represented by legal counsel are five times more likely to obtain legal relief, while detained individuals are up to 10.5 times more likely to achieve a favorable outcome with legal representation. In fact, only 10 percent of people without representation in deportation proceedings have had successful case outcomes, compared to 63 percent of people with representation. 
  • Representation increases immigration court efficiency and reduces the severe backlog of immigration cases – currently over 3 million. 96 percent of people represented by counsel appear in court and immigrants are also more prepared to proceed in their legal cases, avoiding reasons to request continuances or delays. Providing legal support to immigrants and refugees helps uphold their rights while building stronger, safer, and more equitable communities for everyone. 

Have you or someone you know received a notice from immigration court or been detained by ICE?

If you are in need of immigration legal services and cannot pay for them, the Seattle Legal Defense Network may be able to help.

To see if you are eligible for free legal services, call one of these organizations:

For mental health and medical evaluations in support of legal services, contact:

For post-conviction assessment in support of legal services, contact: 

To qualify for FREE Legal Defense Network assistance, you must:

  • Be an immigrant in detention, facing deportation, or at risk because of your immigration status;
  • Currently live, work, or attend school within the boundaries of the city of Seattle, or are experiencing housing instability and have received social services from a Seattle-based agency within the last two years, or are detained in or have removal proceedings in the boundaries of the city of Seattle; AND 
  • Have a household income below 200% of the federal poverty level.


Legal Defense Network 2025 Impact Data:

  • 218 immigration legal cases on average received full direct representation each quarter of the year which benefited 301 clients and their derivatives.  
  • 60 new clients received full direct representation in their immigration case. 
  • 172 people received limited legal services, such as in-depth legal consultation or assistance with immigration forms such as asylum application, employment authorization requests, biometric requests, or change of venue or change of address.  
  • 79 people obtained work authorization. 
  • 82 people obtained work authorization 
  • 33 people obtained permanent or temporary immigration status or were otherwise allowed to stay in the U.S.
  • Our community partners filed for relief on behalf of their LDN clients 163 times and attended 34 court hearings and USCIS interviews 

Legal Defense Network Impact Story

Our community partner, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) represented two Afghan brothers and helped the brothers to prepare their Immigration Court filings and testimony and represented them at their final hearing. In 2025, the Seattle Immigration Court granted their applications for asylum. Both brothers were strong advocates for human rights, including the rights of women and girls, and one brother had worked as a journalist in Afghanistan. Both fled Afghanistan after the fall of the Afghan government in August 2021 and their harrowing journey to the United States lasted months. Since arriving in the United States, the brothers have found stable employment, attended school, and volunteered to help other asylum seekers and refugees. 

Know Your Rights Resources for Immigrants, Refugees, and Advocates

We created this Know Your Rights resource webpage to inform and support community members, City departments, and community-based organizations, partners, and service providers who are working to support immigrant and refugee communities in Seattle and Washington state and help keep all our residents safe. We also joined with the Seattle Office of Economic Development (OED) to host a virtual Know Your Rights Training for business owners and employers, designed to inform them how to ensure compliance with existing immigration regulations and how to protect their workers and workplace.

Immigrant and Refugee Affairs

Cuc Vu, Acting Director
Address: 700 5th Ave, Suite 1616, Seattle, WA, 98104
Mailing Address: PO Box 94573, Seattle, WA, 98124
Phone: (206) 727-8515
OIRA@seattle.gov

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The mission of the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs is to improve the lives of Seattle’s immigrant and refugee communities by engaging them in decisions about the City of Seattle’s future and improving the City’s programs and services to meet the needs of all constituents.