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Justice in Motion offers hundreds of law firms cross-border legal expertise, advanced training in transnational law practice, and a coordinated Defender Network of over 70 locally-led human rights organizations and small-practice lawyers in Mexico and Central America.
Together — staff experts, Defenders and U.S. lawyers — we collaborate to ensure access to justice through 500 cases per year that affect 22,000 migrants and their families.
Immense Value for the Legal Community
The Transnational Justice Program is a critical resource for hundreds of U.S. law firms and every legal services nonprofit they collaborate with to serve migrants.
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“Justice in Motion transformed the way my colleagues and I have served transnational migrant clients over the years, from separated families to workers’ rights cases to individuals and families who have been deported.”
- Efrén C. Olivares, VP of Litigation & Legal Strategy at the National Immigration Law Center
The Transnational Justice Program in Mexico and Central America has helped over 1,500 Partners and Associates at U.S. law firms advance:
350+
Asylum Cases
The Legal Action program obtains evidence of persecution for migrant families seeking protection in the U.S.
1000+
Family Separation Cases
Our Defenders search for deported parents and help them reunite with their children in the U.S. under the Ms. L v ICE settlement.
120+
Labor Justice Cases
The program ensures that plaintiffs can participate in lawsuits against abusive employers even after they leave the country.
570+
SIJ Cases
We provide essential local knowledge and on-the-ground support so children can advance Special Immigrant Juvenile petitions in the U.S.
...and much more
In 2025, the Transnational Justice Program trained over 1,000 U.S. lawyers
Training in advanced techniques and resources for serving migrant clients across borders
Confronting gender-based violence
Assessing conditions in countries of origin relevant to asylum claims
Utilizing the updated 8th edition of the Challenges in Transnational Litigation manual
Securing evidence or interviews to support cases of unaccompanied children
Providing remote testimony at depositions and trial
Impact in Action: Bringing the Power of Defenders’ Expertise to U.S. Courts
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Honduras: Legal recognition of informal adoption
A U.S. judge demanded a signature from a child’s legal guardian before releasing him from detention, an impossible task for a child that was informally adopted in Honduras, where the practice is common. A Defender in Honduras provided an expert declaration explaining local practice and its widespread acceptance, which persuaded the judge to grant an exception and allowed the adoptive parent to sign and the case to proceed.
Guatemala: Building the record for an asylum appeal
When a child’s complex asylum appeal required greater support, a Defender in Guatemala conducted a full investigation of abuse claims, interviewed the child’s family and friends, built documentation of evidence of abuse, and wrote multiple affidavits about the status of the rule of law in Guatemala — all of which provide critical context for the validity of the asylum appeal.
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