Fall 2026 Legal Intern, Immigrants' Rights Project- San Francisco

The ACLU seeks a Legal Intern in the Immigrant Rights Project of the ACLU’s National office. This position may be remote or hybrid and can be based in San Francisco. 

Qualifying applicants must currently be matriculated legal students and must be based in the U.S. for the entire duration of the internship.

The Immigrants’ Rights Project is part of the Legal Department of the national ACLU and has offices in New York and San Francisco. For nearly 40 years, the Project has litigated in trial and appellate courts across the country, including the U.S. Supreme Court, to protect the civil rights and civil liberties of immigrants and seek equal justice under the law. Our work has focused on due process, access to the courts, unfair detention, equal treatment, and state and local laws and policies. For example, we have challenged removals under the Alien Enemies Act; the targeting of student activists for arrest, detention, and deportation; family separation; the Muslim ban; multiple attacks on the asylum system; indefinite and mandatory detention; immigration detainers; state and local anti-immigrant laws; racial and language profiling connected to immigration enforcement; and attempts to eliminate judicial review. We work closely with partners at the national ACLU and affiliates, as well as allied organizations, to pursue litigation and to engage in and support other forms of advocacy and education.

• →Drafting memoranda, affidavits, and briefs 
• →Conducting legal and policy research 
• →Researching prospects for new litigation, including both factual and legal claims 
• →Researching and drafting materials for public education 
• →Legislative bill tracking and analysis 
• →Center principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging in all work, embedding the values in program development, policy application, and organizational practices and processes 

The internship is open to students enrolled at U.S. law schools who will have completed at least one year of law school before the internship commences. In their cover letter applicants should describe their interest in immigrants’ rights and civil liberties, including any relevant life or work experience gained before or during law school.  Please specify your desired office location (New York or San Francisco) in the cover letter and the term you are applying for.  

Interns should possess the following:   

• Current enrollment in accredited U.S. law school 
• Excellent research skills, including conducting internet and legal database research 
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and writing 
• Attention to detail, excellent organizing and time-management skills 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite 
• The initiative to see projects through to completion 
• A commitment to civil liberties, civil rights, and social justice 

Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU  

Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion and belonging in their work by demonstrating commitment to diversity with an approach that respects and values multiple perspectives  

Be committed to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflict  

• Priority Application Deadline: June 26, 2026

While there is a priority deadline, our project is committed to reviewing all applications on a rolling basis until the closing of posting. 

For over 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBTQ+ community, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people.