Volunteer Positions Descriptions

Visitor Volunteers

FFI supports the largest network of visitor volunteers in the U.S. with over 4,000 people making visits each week. If you live within driving distance of a detention center, this is a crucial way that you can provide direct support to people in immigration detention and work with them to expose human rights violations and abuses. If you select this option, we will share your application with the closest Visitation Group, and they will follow up with you directly to let you know about next steps. Each Visitation Group operates differently given differing local contexts and detention facility rules, but we do ask that all Visitation Groups commit to our network’s core values. If you live near a detention center without a Visitation Group that is currently active, we may work with you to launch a new visitation initiative, and in that case will follow up with you directly. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, visitation groups are still continuing the critical work of supporting people in ICE detention and reporting human rights violations. In most detention centers, visitation access has now been reinstated. In other detention centers, volunteers can communicate with people inside over the phone and/or by mail, and in some facilities electronic messaging and video visitation is possible. If you are interested in volunteering, we encourage you to contact the local visitation group in our network directory here.

Hotline Volunteers

Currently accepting new volunteers who speak a language other than English 

Respond to calls to FFI’s National Immigration Detention Hotline from people in immigration detention, as well as family members seeking support for loved ones in detention. Hotline volunteers further our mission by monitoring detention conditions, reporting abuses, and requesting support on behalf of callers. Hotline volunteers work on 2-hour shifts that are organized in a schedule to ensure we are able to cover calls throughout the day. We need people who are able to project their empathy and understanding over the phone in order to calm and reassure people in detention. We prioritize volunteers who speak a second language. If you are a monolingual English speaker, there is a high chance we will not contact you to volunteer. Volunteers must be available for two consecutive hours; shifts take place M-F between 6am-8pm PST. 

Types of shifts: 
Detention Hotline: You will be answering calls directly from people currently detained in immigration detention who are calling to report conditions, abuse, and neglect, and to seek out support. Shifts in the middle of the day are much busier (3-5 calls per shift) than shifts in the early morning or late at night (1-2 calls per shift).

Outside Hotline: You will be answering calls from family members of people in detention to obtain referrals for various types of support like legal support, locating a loved one lost in detention, or reporting abuse. Shifts on the Family Support Line are much slower, and you can expect to receive 1-2 calls in your 2 hour shift. 

Hotline Alternate: You share the times you are usually available (example: Tuesdays 10am-12pm PT) and cover shifts when volunteers are sick, on vacation, or otherwise unable to do their shift.

Other requirements: Must be over the age of 18 years old. Must have access to a laptop, phone, and stable internet. Must be located in the United States. 

Community Accompaniment Volunteers

Community Accompaniment Volunteers provide support to immigrants released from immigration detention. Join a growing grassroots movement of post-release community care to demonstrate that we are far more capable of providing refuge to immigrants than ICE and corporate prison contractors. Accompaniment volunteers support those coming out of detention with everyday tasks such as accessing food, shelter, healthcare, transportation, a lawyer, enrolling in English class, purchasing cell phone/phone plan, bureaucratic errands, community integration, direct advocacy, and psycho-social support. We encourage you to volunteer with a local group in the Accompaniment Network.

Translation & Interpretation Volunteers

We encourage you to volunteer with our allies at Respond Crisis Translation.

Legal Volunteers

We encourage you to volunteer with our allies at Immigration Justice Campaign.