Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)

IDENTIFICATION: National nonprofit whose mission is to protect the civil rights of Latinos in the United States (US)

DATE: Founded in 1968

SIGNIFICANCE: The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund advocates for the over 65 million Latinos living in the US and provides legal, educational, and employment assistance. It is the leading Latino civil rights organization in the US.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) was established in 1968 by Pete Tijerina, a civil rights attorney inspired by the work of the Legal Defense Fund, a project of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Tijerina recognized the need for a similar organization to protect the civil rights of Mexican Americans. With a significant grant from the Ford Foundation, Tijerina and a board of directors founded MALDEF, with headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, and offices in Arizona, California, Colorado, and New Mexico. The grant was primarily for the legal defense of Mexican Americans’ civil rights, with a portion allocated for scholarships to Chicano law students. MALDEF also received support and guidance from the more experienced Legal Defense Fund. Over the years, MALDEF expanded its reach, opening additional offices in Chicago, Atlanta, and Washington, DC. By the mid-2020s, MALDEF had moved its headquarters to Los Angeles, California, and maintained regional offices in Sacramento, San Antonio, Chicago, and Washington, DC.

According to its mission statement, MALDEF works “to protect and defend the rights of all Latinos living in the US and the constitutional rights of all Americans.” To accomplish its goals, MALDEF operates several targeted programs. Its Employment and Equal Opportunity Program helps Latino workers obtain fair wages and benefits by educating workers about their rights and by litigating against illegal discrimination. It advocates for Latino workers to have equal access to hiring and promotions, ensures fair and safe working conditions, and supports Latino workers in discrimination-free workplaces. The Parent School Partnership and Community Education and Leadership Development programs help people understand and advocate for their rights. The Public Resource Equity Program works to ensure that Latino communities receive their fair share of public funding and other public resources; to support child-care programs, domestic violence shelters, health clinics, and other programs; and to see that there are enough bilingual staff members at appropriate agencies to assist Latinos in understanding their rights and responsibilities.

MALDEF’s legal division has been instrumental in protecting the rights of Latinos. It has won several landmark cases, including those related to language rights and access to medical care and housing. Notably, it successfully overturned California’s Proposition 187 (1994), a law that aimed to deny public education, healthcare, and social services to undocumented immigrants. MALDEF also fought against the expansion of the authority of the US Border Patrol and illegal voter redistricting in Los Angeles that would have weakened Latino political power. The organization has convened meetings and litigated cases on behalf of guest workers, and it has filed suits to clarify and limit the authority of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (later US Citizenship and Immigration Services) to conduct searches. In addition to its legal work, MALDEF has sponsored radio spots in Spanish to help new immigrants navigate their new environment. 

In the twenty-first century, MALDEF remains the US’s leading legal civil rights organization and advocates for the Latino population in the country. Thomas A. Saenz has led the organization throughout the twenty-first century, as he has been MALDEF’s president and general counsel. Notable cases argued by MALDEF in the twenty-first century include successfully challenging Arizona’s voting laws, settling a lawsuit against Noble Credit Union for discriminating against Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, and successfully blocking attempts by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office to shut down a Houston-based nonprofit organization. MALDEF’s work focuses on advocacy for voting rights, immigrant rights, and employment rights. 

Bibliography

Acevedo, Nicole. "Civil Rights Group Files Lawsuit Alleging Housing Discrimination Against a DACA Recipient." NBC News, 3 July 2024, www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/civil-rights-group-files-lawsuit-alleging-housing-discrimination-daca-rcna160167. Accessed 2 Sept. 2024.

Acosta, Teresa Palomo, and Ruthe Winegarten. Las Tejanas: Three Hundred Years of History. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2003.

Chavez, Linda. Out of the Barrio: Toward a New Politics of Hispanic Assimilation. New York: Basic Books, 1991.

"Court Cases." MALDEF, www.maldef.org/court-cases. Accessed 2 Sept. 2024.

"History." MALDEF, www.maldef.org/history. Accessed 2 Sept. 2024.

"Mission." MALDEF, www.maldef.org/about/mission. Accessed 2 Sept. 2024.

Storey, John W., and Mary L. Kelley. Twentieth-Century Texas: A Social and Cultural History. Denton: University of North Texas Press, 2008.