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Photo Credit: Lori Barra
Your continued support of our work and vision is vital, and we are grateful to have you walking alongside us as we continue to walk alongside every one of our clients.
With hope and gratitude,
At just six years old, Dominic* was already working on the streets of Honduras, selling tortillas, art made from palm fronds, and car accessories, to survive. Abandoned by his parents as a baby and raised in an abusive home, he was forced to leave school in second grade and spent most of his childhood fending for himself. “I’ve always had to do everything on my own,” Dominic said. “No one has ever supported me.”
“You and your team [at the Florence Project] helped me so much. Thank you for every piece of advice. Thank you for everything you did for me. You’re excellent lawyers, and I send you a big hug.” – Dominic
By 16, he made the difficult decision to leave the home he knew to board a bus and flee north in search of his brother, safety, and belonging. It was a long, dangerous journey north, and unfortunately, that was just the beginning.
Dominic attempted to cross the desert alone. He followed a river for hours, his hands bleeding from cactus thorns, until he couldn’t go any farther. He then turned himself in and was detained in the U.S., first in a freezing cell calleda hielera or icebox, then in a chain-link perrera or cage, and eventually in a Texas government shelter for minors who are in the United States without a parent or legal guardian.
Because Dominic’s mother had never legally registered him in Honduras, he had no proof that he had a brother in the U.S., so he sat in detention for six months, scared, isolated, and uncertain of what would come next. Dominic says he prayed every day while in the shelter, feeling like a prisoner— just waiting. Finally, a DNA test confirmed his relationship, and he was released to his brother in Arizona.
The shelter gave him a list of attorneys and organizations in Arizona that could help. He called numbers on the list until he found the Florence Project.
Dominic connected with our Children’s Program, and through a long and uncertain legal process, he persevered. Florence Project advocates Alexia Carrera and Cindy Flores helped Dominic’s brother obtain legal guardianship, supported Dominic in applying for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), and helped Dominic prepare his case for permanent residency.
Dominic expressed that in the process of waiting, he felt very depressed, sharing that he “felt overwhelmed at times during the delays.” Though it wasn’t easy, Dominic sustained his hope for safety and belonging.
His legal advocate Alexia shared she also felt “overwhelmed during the delays [in his case].” But she was “always rooting for Dominic.”
During the first several years of his case, Dominic couldn’t work. He began building a new life despite this obstacle. He went back to school, joined a church, and leaned on the community of people who offered their support.
When Dominic became eligible to receive a work permit, the Florence Project assisted with his application. Dominic’s perseverance throughout the long progression of his case resulted in a work permit that allowed him to further secure his independence.
Then finally, in 2024, Dominic received the call he’d been waiting years for: his Florence Project team told him he could apply for legal permanent residency, also known as a green card. “I was at work, and Alexia called me and said, ‘Dominic, we can now file the [application for you to become a lawful permanent resident].’ Well, that day I was so happy at work…I was jumping up and down!” Later that year, five years after he first met with the Florence Project, Dominic stood before an immigration judge and was finally granted lawful permanent residency. “I couldn’t believe it,” he remembers.
When Dominic’s team met with him to celebrate his green card, he arrived with a surprise; he had prepared a meal for Alexia and Cindy to express his overwhelming gratitude.
“Seeing him do well feels like justice was served,” Alexia said. “His surprise visit—bringing food, flowers, and heartfelt thanks—moved me deeply.
I tried to hold back tears when he asked God to keep blessing us so we can help others too. I’m not religious, but that moment reminded me why I do this work.”
Today, Dominic can finally build a stable life here in the U.S. He works two restaurant jobs and discovered a passion for cooking. He lives on his own. He bought his first car, a bedroom set, and a phone, all of which once seemed like a distant dream.
“This place has helped me grow as a person,” Dominic told us. “It gave me the chance to makemy dreams come true. Next step is my citizenship!”
We are honored to walk beside our clients not only through the halls of courtrooms and detention centers but also along the path of life, until safety, dignity, and belonging are truly within their grasp. We know that success is not just a legal victory; it is the quiet triumph of recognizing a person’s full humanity and remaining by their side year after year.
This work is only possible because you choose to stand shoulder to shoulder with Dominic; because you choose to use your voice to call for justice, dignity and human rights for all; and because, just like us, you will not give up on a more just andhopeful world. Thank you.
*Name changed to protect privacy.
At the Florence Project, legal education is the foundation for empowerment and self-advocacy for people facing deportation and detention. There is no public defender system for individuals in immigration proceedings. In adult immigration detention centers and children’s shelter detention facilities, our attorneys and legal assistants meet people with information, compassion, and respect to help them understand their rights and navigate a complex system that can often confuse and overwhelm them.
For people who are detained or navigating immigration hearings without an attorney, knowledge is one of the first and most powerful forms of protection. For those who we can represent, having an attorney in their case can make a world of difference. For those who face vulnerabilities, such as severe mental illness, receiving support from our social services team means they have holistic support while they navigate their immigration case.
Through the pro se legal education model that the Florence Project pioneered nationally, our staff is able to expand its impact by empowering people to advocate for themselves. For many people in immigration detention, legal education is the first—and sometimes only—support a person receives. In a year of rising detention rates, policy shifts, and complex changes to asylum law and border policy, our legal empowerment model ensured that thousands of people had tools to protect themselves and their families. In 2024, thousands of adults and children counted on us for legal support, and our clients with particular vulnerabilities received critical holistic support from our social services program.
Santiago* (right) and his pro bono attorney, Jennifer Lee Cota of Papetti Samuels Weiss McKirgan LLP (left), worked shoulder-to-shoulder for almost two years to secure his asylum win and freedom from detention.
In Detention and Shelter Facilities:
At the Border:
Beyond the Courtroom:
“It’s very hard to prosper in Guatemala. That’s why I came here,” Melvin* says. He was just 12 when he left school to work and still a teenager when he arrived in the U.S. alone, hoping for a better future and having endured harassment and threats from gangs that wanted him to join them. A Florence Project legal assistant met him in a shelter and helped him access a free attorney. For years we stood by Melvin’s side, through setbacks, hard work, and hope, until he won his legal case and secured Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. Now 21, working, studying English, and dreaming of becoming an electrician, Melvin has won his immigration case. “Without my lawyer, I would not have won. They always looked out for me.”
*Pseudonym
The scale of detention and deportation operations continues to grow. At a minimum, people in detention deserve access to legal education, an essential tool for understanding their rights and legal options so that they can better navigate a complex and often inhumane system. The Florence Project will continue to offer a lifeline rooted in legal education, representation, and psychosocial support to adults and children in immigration detention. With your support, and grounded in compassion and resolve, we’re committed to standing firmly with the adults and children we have the privilege to serve.
“Please accept my sincere thanks for being more than an attorney. You have been a source of solace, a source of strength, and a beacon of hope. I’m fortunate to have had you by my side.”
– Khadash*, a Florence Project Children’s Program client,
in her letter to Sofia Kalogirou, Florence Project DOJ
Accredited Representative.
Revamped Pro Se Guides
Attorneys on our advocacy team collaborated with staff across the organization to ensure the guides reflect the most current and accurate information. As part of this effort, we also updated our Family Unity Packets, which help families prepare for the possibility that a parent or caregiver may be detained by immigration authorities. These resources are available for free on our website and are distributed in many immigration courts nationwide. themselves in immigration proceedings. Across the country, people detained in immigration facilities or living in our communities often face court alone, without legal representation. Many do not know how to complete a visa application or request release from detention. Our pro se materials serve as critical lifelines, offering clear, accessible guidance to help people navigate these complex processes on their own.
In 2024, we completed a multi-year initiative to revamp and enhance our pro se guides, essential resources for individuals forced to represent themselves in immigration proceedings. Across the country, people detained in immigration facilities or living in our communities often face court alone, without legal representation. Many do not know how to complete a visa application or request release from detention. Our pro se materials serve as critical lifelines, offering clear, accessible guidance to help people navigate these complex processes on their own.
1. We Refused to Look Away
In 2024, we saw clear signs of harm. Children were being misclassified as adults through questionable dental scans. We heard stories of abuse in immigration custody. We met a mother who tragically lost her baby after approaching immigration officials asking for help.
The Florence Project’s legal and social services teams document abuse regularly and take action. In 2024, we published a report summarizing over 300 accounts from unaccompanied children detailing abuse in Border Patrol custody. These findings sparked congressional inquiries, media coverage, and helped build momentum for oversight and reform. As federal oversight bodies are weakened, our role in exposing abuse is more essential than ever.
3. We Took the Fight to Court with Allies Beside Us
From Arizona courtrooms to federal litigation, the Florence Project is recognized as a leader in client centered, strategic legal action. Our work this year included:
2024 was a year for preparation. Knowing we were facing a change in administration and an increasingly hostile political climate and public narrative around immigration, the Florence Project’s advocacy team worked with national and state partners to anticipate and plan strategically for what we could foresee coming. We strengthened relationships with longtime litigation partners and developed clear plans on who to contact and when, based on expected
policy changes.
This preparation paid off. In the first month and a half of the new administration, the Florence Project filed suit in four major cases challenging massive changes in immigration law and policy, from elimination of programs designed to ensure due process and access to counsel for unaccompanied children and people in detention to challenging the unlawful closure of the border to asylum seekers. The Florence Project was ready to respond, and we continue to advocate for the rights of immigrant communities.
Beyond lawsuits, the preparation in 2024 allowed the Florence Project to contribute substantially to other litigation efforts, such as our work with longtime partners at the National Immigration Litigation Alliance (NILA) (see sidebar), Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP), and Human Rights First (HRF).
It was through this partnership that we were able to act swiftly when our client, O.C.G., was unlawfully removed from the United States in the spring of 2025 as part of a push by the U.S.government to aggressively pursue deporting people to third countries where they have no legal ties or personal connections. With NILA’s collaboration, O.C.G. became a named plaintiff in D.V.D. v. DHS, a class action lawsuit challenging the government’s practice of illegally removing individuals to third countries without allowing them the opportunity to express their fear. This case was brought by NILA in partnership with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) and Human Rights First (HRF), long-standing allies of the Florence Project. As a result of this litigation, O.C.G. was returned to the United States in June 2025.
Trina Realmuto, NILA Executive Director, accepted the Special Partnership Award at our 2024 Pro Bono Appreciation Event.
“Throughout 2024, we continued to receive complaints of worsening conditions in detention including discrimination, medical neglect, egregious use of segregation, and more. It has become evident that despite complaints to oversight agencies, immigration detention cannot be reformed, and those detained will continue to suffer from abuse and neglect. By filing complaints and publishing reports, we endeavor to build a public record of these abuses and move toward an immigration system that is built on care and support, not incarceration.” – Liz Casey, Advocacy Social Worker
314 children between the ages of 5 and 17 were interviewed between January 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024. Findings showed alarming trends regarding the treatment of minors in CBP custody.
Over 270 complaints were by the Florence Project on behalf of individuals individuals detained in Arizona’s adult immigration detention facilities between March and August 2024.
Exceptional People with Extraordinary Hearts
Adult Program Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Aisha Nanyanzi, of AKN Immigration (center left), with the Florence Project Adult Program Pro Bono Team.
For over two decades, the Florence Project’s Pro Bono Program has set the standard for what bold, values-driven legal collaboration can achieve. In a system stacked against immigrants, our pro bono attorneys, volunteers, and legal partners stand beside us—expanding access to justice and the boundaries of what’s possible. These partnerships are at the heart of our vision.
In October, we gathered for our 23rd Annual Pro Bono Appreciation Event to honor the attorneys, interpreters, and advocates who stood firmly with our clients in 2023 and 2024.
Children’s Program Pro Bono Attorney of the Year
Juan Carlos Flamand, Esq., Fragomen
Special Partnership Award
National Immigration Litigation Alliance (NILA)
Through our groundbreaking partnership with
NILA, we’ve advanced impact litigation, defended
against wrongful removals, and brought specialized expertise to our work.
Adult Program Pro Bono Attorney of the Year
Aisha K. Nanyanzi, Esq., AKN Immigration, LLC
Volunteer of the Year
Ruzanna Mirzoyan, Interpreter and Translator
Ruzanna’s precise, compassionate language work
has helped ensure that our clients are not just
heard but fully understood.
These honorees embody courage, creativity, and unwavering dedication in a moment that demands all three. Together with our pro bono partners and volunteers, and with your support, we gathered to honor the attorneys, interpreters, and advocates who helped us serve more than 25,000 people in 2023. Every case, every consultation, every victory was made possible by a shared commitment to dignity and justice.
To our pro bono community: thank you for standing with us.
In today’s immigration landscape access to justice requires action. Families are being separated, oversight is being dismantled, and thousands are forced to face immigration court alone. At the Florence Project, we can’t provide free legal and social services to people navigating these complex systems without forward-thinking supporters like you.
As you plan for your future, you can create lasting change by including the Florence Project in your estate plans. A legacy gift helps ensure we’ll be here for the long haul, no matter what obstacles we encounter.
Your legacy can be a powerful force for justice—one that outlasts the current moment and strengthens our mission for generations to come.
To learn more or to let us know you’ve included the Florence Project in your plans, contact us at donate@firrp.org or 520-274-7148.
Note: For your documentation purposes, our full legal name is the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project, and our 501(c)(3) federal tax ID number is 86-0658103.
*As of 12/31/2024
If you have made a gift to the Florence Project in your will and would like to notify us, please contact the Development Team at donate@firrp.org or (520) 274-7148. Thank you!
Contracted Legal Services:
Individual Contributions:
In-Kind Donations:
Foundations:
Other:
Total:
70.8%
11.4%
0.1%
17.6%
0.1%
Program Services:
Operating Costs:
Fundraising:
Total:
Restricted by Donor Year End 2022:
Restricted by Board Year End 2022:
Innovation Fund Year End 2022:
Undesignated Net Assets for 2022:
Total Net Assets for 2022:
$9,218,387
$9,511,006
$10,000,000
$5,694,397
$34,423,790
A PDF copy of this Annual Report is available at firrp.org/news-events/annualreports/. The entire audit is available at firrp.org/financial-info/.
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