Fall 2026 Paralegal Intern

Children's Rights • New York, NY

5d • Remote

About The Position

Children’s Rights is seeking a part-time undergraduate intern for the Fall 2026 semester to join our active litigation program and support our commitment to government accountability and social justice for children. The paralegal intern will have the opportunity to work on our Flores case, which sets national standards for treatment, placement, and release of all immigrant children detained in the custody of the federal government. As Flores counsel, Children’s Rights is charged with overseeing the government’s compliance with the Flores Settlement Agreement and seeking court enforcement when those protections are violated; Children’s Rights is one of only three organizations in the country permitted to connect directly with children inside federal facilities. Children’s Rights’ advocacy has shut down dangerous intake sites, supported the release of children and families, and exposed government misrepresentations of current conditions for children in detention centers. This position is unpaid and will support our Flores team, and may be performed remotely. While we prefer candidates to be based in NYC, non-NYC candidates will be considered. How will you make a different in the Children’s Rights space through this internship? Paralegal interns have the opportunity to meaningfully contribute to our immigration advocacy program for children and families in detention. Our advocacy responds directly to the current administration’s attacks on the immigrant community, defending children and human rights of immigrant children and families. Interns work closely with our legal team, composed of paralegals and attorneys, and will learn the role of the paralegal in impact litigation advocacy. Intern’s work directly supports our mission of ensuring every child has access to basic needs and opportunities necessary for development.

Requirements

• Undergraduate candidates with relevant experience and demonstrated interest will be considered.
• Candidates must be available to volunteer 10-15 hours per week.
• Applicants must be detail-oriented and well organized, with strong writing, critical thinking, and communication skills, as well as excited to contribute to and observe non-profit immigration advocacy.
• A minimum commitment of eight (8) weeks is required.
• Must be available for Fall 2026 semester.

Nice To Haves

• Knowledge of children’s issues, immigration issues, social services, social justice, civil rights, racial justice, LGBTQ/TGNC issues, juvenile justice and/or other areas of our work is a plus.
• Data analytics experience or academic background is a plus, but not required.
• Bilingualism is a plus, but not required.
• Applicants with prior personal involvement in the systems we fight to improve and/or with other diverse life experiences and perspectives are especially encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative support to our legal team, which may include document management, conducting non-legal research, and proofreading and cite checking court filings.
• Support a project related to census data relating to length of stay and population information gathered from our detention center visits.
• Update our rights violation tracker according to evidence and declarations gathered from detention center visits.
• Attend trainings, program meetings, and connect with our immigration advocacy team.

Benefits

• Internships at Children’s Rights are unpaid, though we are happy to support interns in seeking outside funding and/or course credit from their schools.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: Associate degree