Justice in Motion

Justice in Motion works to secure portable justice: the right and ability of all migrants to access justice across borders. We partner with human rights advocates across North and Central America to conduct concrete legal support work in migrant countries of origin, to advocate for better migrant protections across the region, and to educate migrants about their rights and the legal recourses available to them. Wherever migrants go, their rights should follow.

Asylum Access – Justice in Motion partners U.S. immigration lawyers with Defenders to collect evidence to help migrants who have fled to the U.S. seeking safety. To access humanitarian immigration protections, they often need evidence from the country they fled. This local evidence collection is often the vital missing piece needed to make cases successful. In addition to cross-border evidence collection, Defenders write expert declarations and provide educational workshops about the local legal frameworks and practices that often come into play in these cases.

Immigrant Children – Roughly 60% of the immigration cases Justice in Motion supports each year relate to immigrant children. In addition, for the past several years Justice in Motion has worked closely with child advocates to help collect evidence and documents needed to expedite the release of children from immigration detention.

Family Reunification – Justice in Motion has been central to finding, supporting, and reunifying families separated under “Zero Tolerance” since the crisis was first identified in 2018. Currently, Justice in Motion is searching for families in Northern Central America and providing them with local legal and logistical support from the Defender Network to ensure that every eligible family can reunify in safety in the U.S. We are also working with immigration legal service providers in the U.S. to collect evidence for reunified families to seek asylum in the U.S.

Justice Across Borders for Rights Violations – When migrants suffer Civil or Labor rights abuses in the U.S., Justice in Motion helps the victims access justice, even after they return to Honduras. We do this by matching U.S. lawyers with Defenders from our Honduran Defender Network who can work directly with the victim in Honduras or help gather evidence needed for labor abuse and civil rights abuse litigation. Individually, this work ensures that abused and exploited migrants have access to justice and restitution. At scale, access to justice acts as a deterrent showing the U.S. government and employers that they cannot escape accountability by sending those they abuse back across the U.S. border.

Preventing Abuse and Human Trafficking on U.S. Labor Visas: In addition to ensuring that abused and exploited migrant workers have access to legal support, Justice in Motion works in other areas to prevent abuse and human trafficking before it occurs. We are providing training and technical assistance to help governments in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras protect the rights of labor migrants from their countries. On September 1, 2024, Justice in Motion launched a new project in collaboration with the U.S. Department of State Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons (J/TIP) to prevent trafficking by engaging Defenders to provide community outreach and education to potential H-2 workers in Southern Mexico.

Justice in Motion has been fighting for migrants' rights across borders since our founding in 2005. Over that time, we have developed a deep knowledge of the challenges faced by migrants and the legal and regulatory frameworks that shape their access to justice.

Justice in Motion works through three program areas: Legal Action, Policy Advocacy, and the Justice in Motion Defender Network.

Our legal program comprises both concrete work on cross-border legal cases in defense of migrant rights, and education and advice to lawyers navigating cross-border challenges. Justice in Motion helps advocates win cases for migrants, ensuring that they can access justice for employment abuses or civil rights violations, or stay in safety in the U.S..

Through our policy program, Justice in Motion advocates for systemic changes on a regional level to secure lasting and meaningful protections for migrant workers. We work with policymakers and officials to achieve a more transparent U.S. temporary visa system, so that employers cannot flout regulations and exploit workers with impunity. We also educate Mexican and Central American policymakers and officials about the U.S. and Canadian migrant worker programs to help them recognize abuses, craft effective protections for their citizens, and better advocate for migrants.

Finally, we build the capacity of locally-led organizations and independent lawyers across key areas of Mexico and Northern Central America--the Justice in Motion Defender Network--equipping them to serve as expert resources and advocates for migrants in their communities.

The Justice in Motion model is built for efficiency. With a lean team of experienced U.S. staffers, we deliver lasting impact by strengthening existing organizations and resources in migrant countries of origin. A broad base of human rights advocates already serves communities across Mexico and Central America. Through our Defender Network, we empower these advocates to take on a new issue area: defending migrant rights across borders.

Justice in Motion draws on our legal knowledge and regional perspective to forge powerful cross-border partnerships. We build Defenders' capacity through trainings, workshops, and resources, then connect them to U.S. and Canadian lawyers to collaborate on case work and share knowledge of their respective legal frameworks. These lawyers, in turn, can work more efficiently and effectively thanks to Defenders' on-the-ground assistance. This allows them to take on more cases and use their resources more effectively to win cases for more migrants.

Few organizations can offer the breadth of coordinated services that Justice in Motion provides. We are proud of the on-the-ground, cross-border expertise and the deeply-rooted networks that allow us to do so. We continually strive to increase our reach, capacity, and strategic influence in order to carry out our work at the highest possible standard and ensure portable justice for all migrants.

Asylum Access – Justice in Motion partners U.S. immigration lawyers with Defenders to collect evidence to help migrants who have fled to the U.S. seeking safety. To access humanitarian immigration protections, they often need evidence from the country they fled. This local evidence collection is often the vital missing piece needed to make cases successful. In addition to cross-border evidence collection, Defenders write expert declarations and provide educational workshops about the local legal frameworks and practices that often come into play in these cases.

Immigrant Children – Roughly 60% of the immigration cases Justice in Motion supports each year relate to immigrant children. In addition, for the past several years Justice in Motion has worked closely with child advocates to help collect evidence and documents needed to expedite the release of children from immigration detention.

Family Reunification – Justice in Motion has been central to finding, supporting, and reunifying families separated under “Zero Tolerance” since the crisis was first identified in 2018. Currently, Justice in Motion is searching for families in Northern Central America and providing them with local legal and logistical support from the Defender Network to ensure that every eligible family can reunify in safety in the U.S. We are also working with immigration legal service providers in the U.S. to collect evidence for reunified families to seek asylum in the U.S.

Justice Across Borders for Rights Violations – When migrants suffer Civil or Labor rights abuses in the U.S., Justice in Motion helps the victims access justice, even after they return to Honduras. We do this by matching U.S. lawyers with Defenders from our Honduran Defender Network who can work directly with the victim in Honduras or help gather evidence needed for labor abuse and civil rights abuse litigation. Individually, this work ensures that abused and exploited migrants have access to justice and restitution. At scale, access to justice acts as a deterrent showing the U.S. government and employers that they cannot escape accountability by sending those they abuse back across the U.S. border.

Preventing Abuse and Human Trafficking on U.S. Labor Visas: In addition to ensuring that abused and exploited migrant workers have access to legal support, Justice in Motion works in other areas to prevent abuse and human trafficking before it occurs. We are providing training and technical assistance to help governments in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras protect the rights of labor migrants from their countries. On September 1, 2024, Justice in Motion launched a new project in collaboration with the U.S. Department of State Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons (J/TIP) to prevent trafficking by engaging Defenders to provide community outreach and education to potential H-2 workers in Southern Mexico.