International Refugee Assistance Project

About IRAP

The International Refugee Assistance Project (“IRAP”) is a dynamic and growing legal and policy advocacy organization that works to develop and enforce a system of legal and human rights for refugees and displaced people around the world. We are the leading organization providing free and comprehensive legal services to people in need of a safe place to live and a safe way to get there. 

IRAP operates offices in the U.S. (New York City, Washington, D.C.), Jordan (Amman), Lebanon (Beirut), and Germany (Berlin). Our legal teams work closely with a corps of pro bono lawyers from leading law firms and multi-national corporations, and law students who have created IRAP chapters across the United States and Canada. Through this work, we aim to assist refugees and other displaced people to find safe passage and to transform the landscape of refugee rights in the U.S. and internationally. IRAP has over 80 full-time staff members. We are a nimble organization staffed by an innovative and collaborative team that is committed to high standards of quality and close partnerships with our clients, peers, and colleagues.

Mission

IRAP is a global legal aid and advocacy organization working to create a world where refugees and all people seeking safety are empowered to claim their right to freedom of movement and a path to lasting refuge. Everyone should have a safe place to live and a safe way to get there.

Vision

IRAP envisions a world where refugees and all people seeking safety have a set of affirmative, vested rights and protections that guarantee them a safe way to get to a safe place to live permanently. Our vision of safety goes beyond freedom from physical danger: it includes protection from psychological and emotional harm, reunification with family, and the freedom to lead a fulfilling life. Under our vision, borders will no longer be the oppressive, violent transitional spaces that they are today for many people seeking safety.

IRAP further envisions a world where global justice prevails. Today, the vast majority of people seeking safety live in temporary conditions in countries that are economically and politically marginalized. But it is often the actions of the wealthier and more powerful nations, unleashing forces such as colonialism, military conflict, and environmental degradation, that have directly caused displacement, and they are the ones with more capacity to provide permanent refuge to people seeking safety. These wealthier and more powerful nations have the moral obligation to live up to their responsibility to provide refuge.