Job Description

About the Sikh Coalition

The Sikh Coalition is the nation’s largest Sikh civil rights organization, dedicated to safeguarding the rights of all individuals while advancing justice for the Sikh community. Sikh immigrants, alongside other minority community members, now face high risks of detention and deportation due to the current administration’s mass deportation agenda. Once detained, Sikh immigrants often lack access to religious accommodations, language support, and culturally competent legal representation. To address this systemic gap, the Sikh Coalition is launching a national habeas litigation project to challenge the unlawful arrests and wrongful deportations of Sikh immigrants, as well as the dangerous and discriminatory detention conditions they face.

Position Overview

We are seeking an attorney to be our Immigrant Justice Habeas Legal Fellow. This is a one-year full-time fellowship that may be renewed for a second year The Fellow will draft habeas corpus petitions, challenge unlawful arrests and detention, and address civil rights and religious accommodation violations affecting Sikh detainees nationwide. The Fellow will be mentored and supervised by Legal Director Munmeeth (“Meeth”) Kaur.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct intakes with Sikh immigrant detainees facing unlawful arrest, confinement, or deportation.

• Draft, research, and litigate federal habeas petitions, TROs, and appeals.

• Document violations related to language access, religious accommodations, and dangerous detention conditions.

• Coordinate with pro bono partners to expand rapid response capacity.

• Support community education efforts, including preparing and presenting Know Your Rights workshops and Punjabi/English resource materials.

• Engage with gurdwaras (Sikh houses of worship), community partners, and families of detainees.

• Help develop long-term strategy for habeas litigation practice. 

Qualifications

• J.D. and bar admission in U.S. state with preference for CA, NY, WA, FL, or TX

• Minimum 2 to 4 years experience as post-graduate fulltime lawyer or judicial clerkship is preferred

• Strong legal research and writing skills; experience or demonstrated interest in federal litigation, habeas work, or immigration law

• Must be self-motivated, energetic, capable of working in a dynamic, fast paced environment, and able to adjust to shifting priorities

• Commitment to immigrant rights, civil rights, and culturally competent advocacy.

• Punjabi language skills preferred but not required and a willingness to understand and become familiar with the needs of the Sikh community .

• Ability to travel for detention visits, hearings, and community outreach.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary range: $75,000 - $90,000

Comprehensive benefits include health insurance, PTO, and professional development support.

How to Apply

Send a resume, cover letter, writing sample, and 2–3 references via the link below.

The Sikh Coalition is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from Sikh community members and individuals with lived experience in immigrant communities.

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