Creating an Arizona Where All Immigrants and Their Families Are Safe, Welcome & Valued
Our Mission
PLAN works in solidarity with our local immigrant community to reimagine justice in Arizona.
Focused on the things that matter most
Keeping Arizona families together
Challenging (and changing) anti-immigrant narratives
Building community power
Democratizing legal knowledge
Values that guide us
Centering immigrant voices
We center the voices, experiences, and needs of immigrants and their families when setting priorities and advocating for change.
Acknowledging systems of oppression
Layered systems of oppression impact immigrant justice. To meaningfully advance immigrant justice, we must address systemic injustice. Thus, we are equally committed to racial justice, gender justice, economic justice, and social justice.
Democratizing legal knowledge
We believe that legal information should be accessible to everyone. For those who have been historically excluded from systems of power, the need for a lawyer is a symptom of a deeper root cause of injustice and inequity.
Walking our talk
Our values are more than just words. They’re reflected in the work we do with the community and in our internal systems. We ensure our policies and practices promote and reflect racial and gender equity. We commit to regularly reviewing how well we are holding true to these values.
Our history
November 2016
A group of local lawyers started meeting on Sundays to discuss how we could support local grassroots organizations and historically marginalized populations in our community.
Early 2017
Applied for 501(c)(3) status as PLAN.
January 2018
Launched two-year pilot program, the Justice for Immigrants & Families Project, to provide free legal services to non-detained immigrants facing deportation. The program was implemented in partnership with the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project through generous seed funding from Perkins Coie.
December 2019
Ended successful two-year pilot program with the Florence Project.
March 2020
Hired PLAN’s first Executive Director and co-hosted the first ever Izakaya Night, a Japanese food and whiskey tasting event, with Hawker Street Market to raise funds for PLAN.
July 2021
Hired Rekha Nair as PLAN’s new Executive Director. Committed to transitioning to a movement lawyering approach in our values and services.
October 2021
Partnered with the International Rescue Community and CAIR-Arizona to host our first of several community legal clinics for Afghans arriving in Arizona.
November 2021
Co-hosted second Izakaya Night fundraiser to raise $76,000.
January 2022
Moved into our office space at CO+HOOTS Phoenix.
March 2022
Launched a legal training curriculum to empower immigrant leaders to support their communities and potentially become BIA Accredited Representatives.
May 2022
Hired a program & development coordinator.
July 2022
Rolled out our first program evaluation.
October 2022
Hosted our first annual immigrant storytelling & art event with generous support from Arizona Humanities.
Late 2022/Early 2023
Formed Colectivo Capullo, a collective of Poder in Action, Trans Queer Pueblo, and PLAN to create a new dynamic of accountability and mutual understanding between the legal profession, organizations, and the community.
March 2023
Hired third staff member, an immigration attorney.
May 2023
Launched The Cactus Circle, our monthly giving community.
October 2023
Hosted our second annual storytelling & art event.
The people behind PLAN
PLAN is the collective effort of a lot of folks who care deeply about the experiences, rights, and futures of Arizona immigrants.
Do you dream of an Arizona where immigrants and their families are safe, welcome, and valued?
