Direct Legal Services

Whether for a group of workers or an individual, ALC provides legal expertise to support and fight for workers’ rights. This past year, we became engaged in a powerful case that is both a stark reminder of the terrible injustices being done to immigrant workers and a hopeful story of brave escape.

Z, a pseudonym we are using for her safety, grew up in Pakistan with the goal of having a happy marriage and studying nursing. She entered into an arranged marriage with a U.S. citizen with the intention of creating that life for herself. But when she arrived in the U.S. she discovered that she was a victim of human trafficking. The marriage was a sham, designed to lure her to the country to work for free in the family’s homes and business. Enduring physical, emotional, and sexual abuse in addition to terrifying threats against her life, Z labored without wages or adequate rest, for more than 14 hours a day, and was forced to care for her sister-in-law’s child and her husband’s baby with another woman. With the aid of an acquaintance, Z was able to escape the home of her traffickers in 2021 and found shelter and safety with a local nonprofit. As she rebuilds her life, ALC, along with co-counsel Pillsbury, Winthrop, Shaw, and Pittman LLP, are fighting for compensation from her former captors in court. We are also uplifting her voice as she and others in the shelter seek better policies to protect them and shift focus onto creating systemic change to help stop trafficking.

Because of your support, we’re able to help low-wage immigrant workers get justice on a wide range of workplace issues, from race and national origin discrimination to retaliation and workplace safety. Learn more about our Workers' Rights program.

By preventing unjust deportations that tear families apart, we support and empower the most vulnerable in our communities. For example, A.C. (using a pseudonym), is a Legal Permanent Resident, or green card holder, with extensive family in the United States. Now in their 60s and undergoing treatment for a cancer diagnosis, they are also an active member of the local Fijian community. Despite this, ICE put them in removal proceedings due to an old criminal record.

We have long fought to keep ICE from detaining and deporting formerly incarcerated individuals. As we did in over 100 cases this past year, we jumped in to support A.C. and their family. We researched the criminal immigration issues around this case, negotiated with ICE counsel, and—critically—empowered A.C. to testify on their own behalf. A.C. won relief from deportation and is home with their family and working to better their community.

Because of your support, we have a robust Immigrant Rights team in 2024 who are able to provide legal services to help the most vulnerable in our communities. Learn more about our Immigrant Rights program.

ALC helps San Francisco tenants, many of whom are mono-lingual elderly residents, with eviction, discrimination, harassment, and safety issues so they can live in their communities without fear or undue stress.

Ms. Chen, for example, is a senior in her 80s who relies on SSI to survive. She has been living in her apartment for nearly 20 years. In the past decade, property management has changed multiple times. About two years ago, Ms. Chen began receiving late fees on her rent despite carefully paying her rent on time each and every month. She tried to sort this out several ways, including by setting up automatic payments through her bank. But the fees continued, as did the confusing English-only letters accompanying them. She attempted to have a friend help her negotiate with her landlords, but this did not stop the fees, which continued to add up. She began to feel vulnerable and taken advantage of, but had difficulty finding help. She came to ALC, and we advocated for her with the landlord. They not only stopped imposing the fees, they also returned all of her previous payments on the fees.

As we move into 2024, because of your support, our Housing Rights team is expanding to provide culturally and linguistically competent assistance to low-income tenants and advocate for local and state policies that preserve housing, create affordable housing options, and decrease inequities in housing and land use. Learn more about our Housing Rights program.