Our Mission

American Gateways promotes justice for immigrants and refugees by providing free and low cost legal services and education.

While the majority of American Gateways' clients are from Central America, our services are not limited to people from any one region or country.

In 2009, American Gateways provided legal services benefiting 4,587 people (a 25% increase), and conducted 343 outreach, educational and rights workshops to 6,047 people (a 41% increase). American Gateways’ clients came from such diverse regions as the following: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, England, Ethiopia, Germany, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, South Korea, Liberia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Tunisia, Turkey, Vietnam and Venezuela.

The American Gateways Story

Founded in 1987 as the Political Asylum Project of Austin (PAPA), American Gateways began as a response to the legal needs of the large number of Central American refugees arriving at the Texas border in the 1980s. Like the thousands of others American Gateways has helped through the years, these refugees were fleeing violence and war in their home countries in search of a safe haven.

American Gateways offers safety and hope for a new life to hundreds of men, women and children every year, from approximately 75 countries around the world. Today, immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers continue to benefit from legal representation—and so much more. American Gateways empowers immigrants to advocate for themselves and their families and keeps them informed about their rights and responsibilities. American Gateways educates law enforcement, the legal community, and other advocates on how to use social and legal resources to uphold the law and make Central Texas a safe place to build a new life.

American Gateways has grown from only two employees in 1987 to more than a dozen employees in 2010, including several attorneys. The high quality legal work provided by the staff, the board, and the volunteers of American Gateways was recognized in 2002 when the Austin Chronicle name us Best Legal Services in Austin.

Today American Gateways is a proud champion for immigrants, and welcomes the invovlement of attorneys, volunteers and donors of all types.