Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative (SIFI)
SIFI provides pro bono legal representation to detained immigrants at immigrant detention centers in the Deep South.
Only one in six immigrants detained in the Southeast has access to an attorney in removal proceedings. For an immigrant in detention, that legal representation can mean the difference between winning or losing the case — between staying with their family or being forced to return to a place that is no longer home.
The Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative (SIFI) works to provide free legal representation to detained immigrants seeking release from detention centers across Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. Also, SIFI trains volunteer attorneys to represent individuals facing deportation proceedings and partners with community organizations to advocate for immigrants’ rights.
We work in the following detention centers of the Southeast:
- Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia
- Folkston ICE Processing Center in Folkston, Georgia
- LaSalle ICE Processing Center in Jena, Louisiana
- Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center in Pine Prairie, Louisiana
- Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe, Louisiana
- River Correctional Center in Ferriday, Louisiana
- Allen Parish Public Safety Complex in Oberlin, Louisiana
- Jackson Parish Correctional Center in Jonesboro, Louisiana
- South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, Louisiana
- Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, Louisiana
- Adams County Detention Center in Natchez, Mississippi
Team members in our helpline are the vital and main source of referrals in our project. We ask detained callers to contact us initially because an intake needs to be completed and can only be done by the individual needing assistance. Please share the below steps with your loved one so that they can get in contact with us, if possible, through a free and unmonitored line. We have interpreters available for non-English/Spanish speakers.
- Press 1 for English
- Enter your PIN/Detainee ID number (a 5-6 digit number given by the detention center)
- Press 6
- Dial 388#
If they are unable to reach us following the steps above, they can call us collect at 229-838-6500.
Please note that our helpline prioritizes calls coming from detention centers. Voicemails from callers outside detention centers are accepted one day a week.
Hours of Operation:
Calls from detention centers:
Tuesday: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. ET
Thursday: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. ET
Voicemails from outside detention:
Wednesday: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. ET
As our services are not guaranteed, we encourage you to continue looking for legal representation. If you can hire a private attorney, we encourage you to do so.
