The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Foundation of Florida seeks a Spring 2027 Immigrants’ Rights Legal Intern to join our Legal Department and help achieve the organization’s goal of protecting the liberties that define our democracy. This internship is based in our Miami office or remotely within Florida.

The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Florida (ACLU of Florida or ACLU-FL) is an affiliate of the national ACLU, a national public interest organization devoted to the defense of the Bill of Rights. For over 100 years, the ACLU has served as the nation’s primary protector of the liberties that define our democracy. The organization implements its vital civil liberties mission in all 50 states, in large part through affiliate entities such as the ACLU of Florida.

The ACLU of Florida, the state’s largest civil rights and civil liberties organization, employs litigation, public policy advocacy and organizing, and public education to protect and promote a broad range of constitutional values and individual rights, such as freedom of speech, racial justice, right to privacy, religious liberty, criminal justice reform, voting rights, reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, disability rights, and immigrants’ rights. The ACLU of Florida litigates a broad range of complex constitutional cases in federal and state courts through direct representation, filing amicus briefs, and submitting administrative complaints to state and federal agencies. Operating out of two offices in Miami (main) and Tallahassee, with staff based throughout the state, the ACLU of Florida is among the larger ACLU affiliates in the nation. Our work ranges from educating the public to representing individual and organizational clients in state and federal courts, including the Florida Supreme Court, all three of Florida’s U.S. District Courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

The ACLU of Florida invites second-year law students to apply for a Spring 2027 internship with our Immigrants’ Rights legal team. The deadline to submit applications is November 20, 2026. Applications will be considered, and offers may be made, on a rolling basis, so it is possible that all available slots will be filled before the deadline. This is an unpaid internship that requires a minimum commitment of 10 weeks, and students are expected to receive credit for their work through their law school.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Working closely with staff attorneys on the ACLU-FL Immigrants’ Rights Legal Team, the Legal Intern will have the unique opportunity to research and apply constitutional legal theories to real-world problems, contribute to complex constitutional litigation in federal and state courts, and gain a practical understanding of constitutional issues.

The ACLU of Florida seeks to attract diverse students who demonstrate a strong commitment to civil rights and civil liberties and exceptional leadership potential to work on pressing civil liberties issues. This internship focuses on immigrants’ rights litigation and requires a minimum commitment of 10 weeks.

YOUR DAY TO DAY

• Conduct factual investigations through interviews and draft declarations.
• Conduct legal research.
• Draft pleadings, briefs, and other litigation documents.
• Assist with discovery processes.
• Perform other tasks as needed to advance the work of the Immigrants’ Rights legal team and strategic objectives of the affiliate.

FUTURE ACLU’ERS WILL

• Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU of Florida and the broader civil liberties movement.
• Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging in their work, using a personal approach that values all individuals and respects differences in race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and socio-economic circumstance.
• Be committed to working collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflict.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

While no one person will have all of the qualities enumerated below, the successful candidate will bring many of the following qualifications and attributes:

• Current second-year law student (2L) able to receive law school credit for this internship.
• Excellent legal writing, research, and communication skills.
• Ability to analyze complex legal issues.
• Self-motivation and demonstrated initiative to see projects through to completion.
• Ability to handle multiple projects and meet deadlines.
• Experience with policy advocacy and/or public education preferred.
• Spanish or Creole language skills are helpful but not required.
• Unwavering commitment to the mission and goals of the ACLU, including a demonstrated commitment to civil rights and civil liberties issues.

COMPENSATION

This internship is unpaid. Students must receive credit for this work through their law school.

WHY THE ACLU OF FLORIDA

Founded in 1955, the ACLU of Florida has spent seven decades defending and preserving the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States for the people of our state. 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 of Florida takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all Floridians.

OUR COMMITMENT TO ACCESSIBILITY, EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Accessibility, equity, diversity, and inclusion are core values of the ACLU of Florida and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. For us, these are not just check-the-box activities, but a chance to make long-term, meaningful change. We are a community committed to learning and growth, humility and grace, transparency and accountability. We believe in a collective responsibility to create a culture of belonging for all people within our organization — one that respects and embraces difference, treats everyone equitably, and empowers our colleagues to do their best work. We are as committed to anti-oppression, anti-ableism, and anti-racism internally as we are externally. Because whether we’re in the courts or in the office, we believe ‘We the People’ means all of us.

With this commitment in mind, we strongly encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

If you need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, or to perform the essential functions of this job, the ACLU of Florida will provide one. We make every effort to ensure that our recruitment and employment efforts provide people with disabilities full opportunities for employment in all positions, and we undertake affirmative action strategies to help make that a reality.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply for the Spring 2027 Immigrants’ Rights Legal Internship, send a cover letter, résumé, law school transcript, original legal writing sample, and contact information for two references to Maya Albold at [email protected]. Please include “Spring 2027 Immigrants’ Rights Legal Internship” in the subject line of your email, indicate whether you would like to work in the Miami office or remotely, and note where you learned of this posting. Applications are due November 20, 2026, and will be reviewed on a rolling basis. All attachments should be in Microsoft Word or PDF format.

This job description provides a general but not comprehensive list of the essential responsibilities and qualifications required for the Spring 2027 Immigrants’ Rights Legal Internship. It does not represent a contract of employment. The ACLU of Florida reserves the right to change the job description and/or posting at any time without advance notice.