Immigration Today!: Recent Episodes
Clark Hill
Join Clark Hill’s Angeline Chen, a leading immigration attorney, in discussing the impacts of US immigration law and policy. On Immigration Today, Angeline interviews leaders, experts, advocates and volunteers in immigration and immigrant rights on the issues, their experiences and their advice on how YOU can make a difference.
On the 40th episode of Immigration Today!, Angeline Chen welcomes Dr. Jason De Leon. Dr. Jason De León is a professor of Anthropology and Chicana/o Studies and director of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is also the Executive Director of the Undocumented Migration Project, a 501(c)(3) research, arts, and education collective that seeks to raise awareness about migration issues globally while also assisting families of missing migrants to reunite with their loved ones. Since 2009, the UMP has been studying clandestine migration between Latin America and the United States using a combination of ethnographic, visual, archaeological, and forensic approaches to understand this violent social process. Dr. De León has published numerous academic articles and his work with the UMP has been featured in a variety of popular media outlets. He is a 2017 MacArthur Foundation Fellow and author of the award-winning book The Land of Open Graves: Living and Dying on the Migrant Trail. Dr. De Leon’s latest work is a new book titled Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling, which is an in-depth look at the daily lives of smugglers moving migrants across the length of Mexico.
In this interview, Angeline Chen deep dives into De Leon’s work. For much of his career, Dr. De Leon had focused on the archeological fieldwork of countries like Mexico. He would often work in communities that had high migration rates which eventually led him to grow an interest in the journeys people take to their destination while immigrating. He realized that human migration left an archeological footprint worth discovering. His first book, Land of Open Graves was a combination of archaeology, forensic science, and ethnographic works meant to shed light on the experiences of border crossers. Eventually, his involvement with immigration issues led him to take an interest in the stories of smugglers. Soldiers and Kings was a 7-year-long project that led him from Guatemala to Mexico and back to follow the stories of smugglers and learn about the way organized crime, drug cartels, and transnational gangs have shaped the migration process. Dr. De Leon gives us a new perspective: Are smugglers all “bad”?
You can follow Dr. Jason De Leon's work via their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Purchase your copy of Soldiers and Kings from your favorite retailer today! Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Undocumented Migration Project via this link.
Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our immigration newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes.
DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On the 39th episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen welcomesMegan Thomas, president & CEO of Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties. Megan has a passion for helping people and she joined Catalyst because it sits at the intersection of philanthropy and social good. Catalyst is a network of a couple hundred funders and grant makers with a mission to help educate, lead and invest in environmental issues, food security, border issues and more, to promote social change. One of Catalyst's focuses is in border work as the community they serve in San Diego and Imperial County has a strong border identity. They work with many grassroots organizations who are the first point of contact for many immigrants entering the United States or who reside in Tijuana. There has been attention to border issues on the philanthropy side during Trump’s family separations and the current arrival of asylum seekers. Catalyst continues to do great work and hopes to continue building an equitable, impactful, and effective social change ecosystem.
As CEO, Megan provides strategic leadership and partnership to the entire Catalyst staff, board, members, and community partners. She oversees Catalyst’s facilitation of collaborative efforts among its funder members and other stakeholders; leads the production of philanthropy and impact investing skills-building and issue based learning; and spearheads Catalyst’s work related to championing equity and opportunity. She strengthens Imperial and San Diego County communities through shared learning and pooled and aligned funding strategies, and initiatives fiscally sponsored by Catalyst.
You can follow Catalyst via their website, Facebook, Twitter/X and YouTube. If you want to become a member, sign up here or consider donating. Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our immigration newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes.
DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On the 38th episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen welcomes Celia Valdez and Nora Phillips.
Celia Valdez has been working in health outreach for over 25 years. As the Outreach and Education Director with Maternal and Child Health Access (MCHA), she has worked diligently with local and state government groups ranging from community-based organizations to government agencies to improve access to free and low-cost health insurance programs. She has advocated on behalf of hundreds of clients, provided testimony on their behalf before government boards, and has made numerous health policy recommendations at state and local levels. MCHA (MCHA) improves the health of low-income women and families through advocacy, education, training, and direct services.
Nora Phillips is the founder of the Law Office of Nora E. Phillips, APC, in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. She has been practicing immigration law since 2007, with a focus on immigration remedies for survivors of violence, disabled immigrants, and individuals who have been deported from the U.S. She co-founded Al Otro Lado (AOL), a binational legal services organization, in 2011. While at AOL, she ran the Deportee Program the Healthcare-Legal Partnership while co-supervising the Case Management Program for holistic client advocacy. Prior to that, Nora co-founded Phillips & Urias, LLP, a community immigration law firm in East Los Angeles. Prior to Phillips & Urias, LLP, Nora was a Staff Attorney at the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) in Los Angeles.
Celia became passionate about public benefits while in college when she heard a presentation about prenatal healthcare access for immigrant women. She found a job opening at MCHA and has been there for 27 years since! On the other hand, Nora moved to New York in her early 20’s and started becoming involved in civil rights work involving Muslim populations after the 911 attacks. Eventually Nora landed in Chicago and went to law school and has been doing immigration work since. Celia and Nora work together as they both sit at the intersection of public benefits and immigration work. Whether its sending VAWA approved or U Visa approved cases to access public service benefits at MCHA or Celia sending over immigrant populations to seek legal services back to Nora, they both share a passion in making sure everyone is educated about the resources they can access so that no one falls through the cracks.
MCHA has training available for people that want to know the in and outs of public benefits in LA county. You can access those trainings here. They are always in need of donations. Please consider donating via this link. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook to keep up with their work!
Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our immigration newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes.
DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On the 37th episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen welcomes Efrén C. Olivares, Director of Strategic Litigation at The Southern Poverty Law Center. Olivares is a civil rights lawyer who has represented clients before federal courts and international human rights bodies for over a decade. His work focuses on ending immigrant detention and providing pro bono legal representation to detained immigrants at immigration detention centers in the deep South. Efrén and his team also defend workers’ rights, ensure local policing is not entangled with immigration enforcement, seek family reunification, and protect the rights of asylum seekers. In this interview, Efrén tells us about his upbringing and how that influenced the work he does today as an immigration attorney and fearless advocate for civil rights.
Author of My Boy Will Die of Sorrow: A Memoir of Immigration from the Front Lines, which was published in 2022, Efrén recounts his own immigration journey as young teenager arriving in the U.S. His work has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, Newsweek, CBS, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, CNN and many other outlets. Efrén's grandfather was born in the U.S. to farmworker parents who would travel in between Mexico and Texas for work which eventually lead to his family establishing roots in Texas when he moved to the U.S at the age of 13. In his book he recounts what life was like assimilating into the U.S. and how his own experiences allowed him to see immigration work through a personal lens.
You can keep up with Efrén on Twitter/X @efrencolivares and on IG @e.olivares.a. Purchase his book via Amazon , Barnes and Noble, Target or any other outlet found on his website. Consider donating to the amazing work done at The Southern Poverty Law Center here. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram as well.
Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our immigration newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes.
DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On the 36th episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen welcomes Faisal Al-Juburi. Faisal is a strategic partnerships specialist with more than a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector. He currently serves as the Chief External Affairs Officer for RAICES, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency founded in 1986, and the largest immigration legal services provider in Texas.
Faisal is the son of Iraqi immigrant parents. He was born in Cincinnati and grew up in Little Rock and D.C. His parents taught him about the power of servicing others from a young age and Faisal has carried these values with him through his work in philanthropy. Throughout his work with RAICES, he has seen the non-profit grow and take on a leadership position in the immigration rights movement. Their work in 2018 during Trump’s Zero Tolerance policy, which resulted in the separation of hundreds of families, was pivotal in their growth and all of the work they continue to do today.
With legal and social services, paired alongside litigation and advocacy for systems change, RAICES is operating on the national frontlines of the fight for the rights of immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.
You can keep up with RAICES Texas on their website, Instagram and Facebook. You can also make a donation here and volunteer here. Follow Faisal on Linked-in. Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our immigration newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes.
DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On the 35th episode of Immigration Today!, Angeline Chen welcomes Eliza Brennan, Senior Program Officer for Education and Migration at International Community Foundation (ICF). ICF is the nonprofit foundation of choice for U.S. donors who are passionate about protecting the environment and improving the quality of life in Baja California, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Eliza has been passionate about international work from a young age as her parents always fostered a life of community work. She has been involved in community driven work for many years, from her time spent at Georgetown University, to her time spent in Nicaragua. ICF’s historical main focus prior has been environment and conservation work. Eliza leads ICF’s nearly $3M education portfolio with the goal of expanding educational opportunities for vulnerable children in Latin America to succeed in school, careers and life. Since 2018, Eliza has steered ICF’s programmatic work related to immigrants, refugees, and deportees in the San Diego-Tijuana Border. She also oversees ICF’s growing portfolio of grants in Central America. She has 30 years of experience living and working in Latin America, and academic experiences in China and South Africa.
Around the time Eliza joined ICF, the foundation began to become involved in immigration work after a major influx of Haitians started arriving to the U.S.-Mexican border in 2016. ICF eventually launched a Border Fund which has helped provide food, shelter, basic preventative healthcare and legal services for many at the border. They are heavily involved with border work now and partner with amazing orgs such as the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, This is About Humanity and many others. With ICF’s in-depth knowledge of the issues and long-standing relationships with local nonprofit organizations and community leaders, they help donors connect with the regions and causes they care about. From one-time tax-deductible donations to ongoing grants, ICF offers a variety of international grantmaking tools and advisory services to help orgs achieve their philanthropic goals.
You can learn more about ICF via their website. If you are a donor that is interested in getting connected with ICF, you can contact Eliza here or you can make a direct donation to one of the issues you care about here. If you are interested in donating to ICF’s Border Fund please click here. Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our immigration newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes.
DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
Buses transporting asylum seekers have been arriving to Los Angeles for months. Non-profit organizations such as CHIRLA, ImmDef, CARECEN, Haitian Bridge Alliance among many others have quickly reacted and are attending to this emergency.
On episode 34 of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen interviews Angelica Salas, the ED of The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) who gives us more details on this subject.
Angelica Salas joined us on Immigration Today! in early 2021 where she spoke about her work with CHIRLA, which continues to react to the needs of migrants across our nation including the asylum seekers being dropped off to cities across America. Angelica explains that in order for us to understand this issue, we must look at the context of asylum law in general. Asylum has always been a legal right to pursue but it has been facing attacks since the Trump administration in 2016. Policies such as Title 42 and Remain in Mexico have made it extremely difficult for asylum seekers to practice their right to seek asylum in the U.S. After Biden was elected, not much changed and asylum seekers remained unable to present their case in front of a judge.
Now that Title 42 has been lifted, there is an opportunity for people to seek asylum but a reasonable and humane process has not been created to help with the process. States like Texas and Florida have been busing migrants to Los Angeles and other areas. CHIRLA and other organizations have partnered with the city of Los Angeles and picked up the task of receiving these migrants with the level of humanity that they need. They provide basic care such as food, shelter, medical exams, clothes, transportation, legal representation and much more. You can stay connected with the work CHIRLA does via their website. Please consider making a donation here.
Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our immigration newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes.
DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On the 33rd episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen interviews Professor Bill Ong Hing. Bill Ong Hing is Professor of Law and Migration Studies at the University of San Francisco, and Professor of Law and Asian American Studies Emeritus, at UC Davis. Previously on the law faculties at Stanford University and Golden Gate University, he founded the Immigrant Legal Resource Center in San Francisco and directs their Immigration & Deportation Defense Clinic. Professor Hing teaches Immigration Law & Policy, Migration Studies, Rebellious Lawyering, and Evidence. He is the author of 6 books and was co-counsel in the US Supreme Court asylum precedent-setting case INS v. Cardoza-Fonseca (1987). Throughout his career, Professor Bill Ong Hing pursued social justice through a combination of community work, litigation, and scholarship. Most recently, he has published his book Humanizing Immigration which argues that immigrant and refugee rights are part of the fight for racial justice and offers a humanitarian approach to reform and abolition.
Professor Hing was passionate about teaching from the moment he stepped foot into law school. He spent his first five years as an attorney representing Spanish speaking and Chinese clients in their deportation needs and visa work. He would also offer evening teaching classes at University of San Francisco and eventually began teaching full time at different campuses. In all if his teaching positions, he remains heavily involved with legal clinic work. Professor Bill Hing has over 50 years of experience in the immigration world and is a strong believer that the conversation around immigration needs to be revisited through a more humanitarian lens. In his most recent book, he offers criticism about the immigration court system and the judges that make decisions in cases, cites to examples of racial injustices in immigration law and ultimately advocates for major reform to the broken immigration system in this country.
Humanizing Immigration was just released on October 24th! You can purchase a copy on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart and many other outlets. You can connect with Professor Bill Hing via the University of San Francisco website here.
Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our immigration newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes.
DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On the 32nd episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen interviews Patrice Lawrence from the UndocuBlack Network. Black immigrants are often prone to higher rates of detention and deportation, have less access to legal representation, and are likely to be forgotten in the narrative of immigration in general. When entire communities are invisible in these narratives, they are also left out of conversations surrounding the protection and advocacy of their human rights. Listen as Patrice shares her immigration journey into the U.S., how she survived without status, and the work that UndocuBlack Network is doing to ensure that black immigration issues become an important part of the larger immigration narrative.
Patrice Lawrence (she/her) is the Executive Director of the UndocuBlack Network (UBN) and a member of the community it serves - currently and formerly undocumented Black immigrants who are transforming their realities and making their demands known on a local, state, and national level. Originally from Jamaica, Patrice is a graduate of Hollins University. In 2023, she was named by the Washingtonian as one of the top 500 influencers in Washington, D.C. Over the past seven years since the co-creation of UndocuBlack Network, Lawrence’s expertise in legislative matters has been instrumental in securing the largest form of legislative relief in over two decades when she worked with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to secure immigration relief for Liberians in 2019. Patrice is a fierce advocate for the liberation of all peoples and towards that vision has been a leader in building unity across racial and ethnic communities. Patrice has penned op-eds for CNN, Black Star News, and NewsOne.
As a newly founded network, the UndocuBlack Network relies on the generosity from people like you. Please make a donation here to support their work! Follow UndocuBlack Network on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok.
Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our immigration newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes.
DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On the 31st episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen interviews Carmen McDonald. Carmen McDonald is the new Executive Director for Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice (LACLJ) as of March 2023. LACLJ was founded in 1973 and has provided legal advocacy to low-income and primarily immigrant and Latino populations in Los Angeles for over 40 years. Their goal is to secure justice for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and empower them to create their own futures. Carmen was previously the Director of legal services at LACLJ. In her role, she oversaw LACLJ’s domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking projects and LACLJ’s pro bono program, which pairs attorneys with survivors of domestic violence seeking representation at their restraining order hearings. Driven by her passion to help others, she has led representation for hundreds of domestic violence survivors in family court and immigration proceedings and overseen precedent-setting appeals.
Prior to working at LACLJ, Carmen was an attorney at Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County where she represented survivors of domestic violence in family law and immigration matters and worked in the Shriver Access to Justice Project assisting tenants with unlawful detainer proceedings. Carmen also previously worked at Break the Cycle where she represented teen survivors of domestic violence in family law matters. Prior to becoming an attorney, Carmen interned at the YWCA of San Diego County assisting survivors of domestic violence in family law matters and at the Gay and Lesbian Center of San Diego County assisting clients living with HIV/AIDS with accessing benefits.
Carmen is the daughter of Cuban immigrants. Carmen received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Central Florida with a minor in Women’s Studies before graduating from California Western School of Law. Carmen was awarded the 2020 Los Angeles Domestic Violence Council Betty Fisher award for her service to survivors of domestic violence.
If you want to apply for services with LACLJ use this link. If you need crisis support, immediate assistance, or shelter 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week, please reach out to:
- the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
- the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
- the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or by texting 233733
You can volunteer with LACLJ by signing up here. Follow LACLJ on Instagram, Facebook, Linked-In and Twitter. Please consider donating so that they can continue doing amazing work via this link. Immigration Today! is always releasing new content.
Please subscribe to our immigration newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes.
DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On the 30th episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen interviews Keya Koul. Keya Koul is Business & Legal Affairs Counsel at Netflix. She serves as one of the co-leads of the Pro Bono Committee in the LA office and has been with Netflix for nearly four years. Keya currently holds an American Bar Association (ABA) Presidential Appointment to the Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI). Prior to working at Netflix, Keya served as the Director of Career Services at University of San Francisco School of Law. Before that, Keya practiced law in New Mexico for nearly a decade, during which time she was named a Super Lawyers Rising Star. She received her J.D. from Southwestern Law School and obtained her masters from UCLA. She is the eldest daughter of immigrants from Srinagar, Kashmir, India. She speaks English, Spanish, Hindi, Kashmiri, and a little bit of French and Arabic. Keya is passionate about diversity, inclusion, and equity, and believes strongly in giving back through public service and pro bono work.
On this podcast, she talks to us about what her journey growing up as the daughter of Indian immigrant parents was like, her journey in her career and her transition into an in-house attorney at Netflix and what living in LA has been like for her. Keya also talks to us about her battle with cancer in 2014 and how that changed the trajectory of her life. In many ways, her decision to join Netflix as an in-house attorney is tied to her desire to live life in the moment. With her background in entertainment law, her love for social justice, and learning new languages, she found the perfect career for her.
You can follow Keya Koul on LinkedIn. Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our immigration newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes.
On the 29th episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen interviews Rae Ceretto and Kelly Scott. They are the co-founders of Honeypot Productions and creators of the film Seeking Asylum. Rae Ceretto is a director and cinematographer, and Kelly Scott is a producer. Honeypot Productions was founded in 2020 and is a female owned and operated production company specializing in documentary and nonfiction storytelling. They foster conversations of understanding, compassion, and growth in our world through visually stunning and character driven narratives.
Rae started her career as a photojournalist documenting refugees and women’s rights issues around the globe. At the age of 16, Rae completed her first documentary short film about the 1999 NATO bombings and death of former Yugoslavian dictator Slobodan Milosevic. She graduated with honors from New York University and went on to collaborate with some of the biggest companies in the nonprofit, commercial, and entertainment world. In 2021 Rae was named one of SHOOT Magazine’s emerging directors.
Kelly is an award-winning producer with a background in Fine Art. After attending The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York, she began her production career working in advertising, fashion, and music. Her productions have won a Cannes Silver Lion, a Clio, Ad Age Campaign of the Year, and multiple Experiential Awards from Adweek.
Their film Seeking Asylum is a feature documentary that documents the challenges asylum seekers face and shows why asylum is an integral part of the American Dream. This film is an expansion of their award-winning short documentary, We Do Not Live Here, which was featured in Rolling Stone Magazine. It follows Kensy’s arduous journey from Honduras to Los Angeles where she is currently waiting for her asylum trial and all the issues she faces after entering the United States along with her children.
You can watch Seeking Asylum on Amazon, Apple, Google Play or other streaming sites. Please consider donating to Kensy’s GoFundMe page to help alleviate some of the financial burdens that her and her family face. Provide money for legal support to asylum seekers via these resources or volunteer here. You can follow Honeypot Productions on their Instagram to keep up with their latest work.
Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our immigration newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes.
On the 28th episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen welcomes Erika Gonzalez. Erika Gonzalez is a Training and Technical Assistance Managing Attorney at the Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST), in Los Angeles CA. Erika is a national expert in legal remedies access for survivors of all forms of human trafficking. She is proud to be the daughter of Mexican and Salvadoran immigrants whose work focuses on approaching the legal representation of trafficking survivors from a trauma-informed, victim-centered, and race equity lens.
Erika co-founded and continues to lead the Office for Victims of Crime’s first training and technical assistance program dedicated to legal remedies for trafficking survivors at CAST. Through this program, she trains attorneys and social service providers across the U.S. on issues of immigration, victims’ rights, criminal record relief and ethical considerations. Erika has devoted her career to working with survivors of human trafficking, sexual assault, and domestic violence. At Opening Doors, Inc. in Sacramento, CA, Erika assumed the low-bono immigration program focused on assisting victims of crime with immigration relief. As a staff attorney at CAST and Opening Doors, she represented crime victims in immigration, criminal victims’ rights, and criminal record relief matters.
Erika is the co-author of several advisories on T visas and other forms of relief. She is a member of the Freedom Network, a network of over 60 individual and member agencies representing trafficking survivors and is an active participant of their Steering and Racial Equity Committees. She graduated from the University of Pacific, McGeorge School of Law and the University of California, Berkeley. Erika is currently a fellow for the New Leaders Council, Class of 2021. She was raised in South Lake Tahoe.
CAST is one of the pioneers of the US anti-trafficking movement. CAST’s immeasurable contribution to survivors of human trafficking has been recognized by President Obama, who honored CAST with the Presidential Award for Extraordinary Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons in 2014. Erika has been doing anti-trafficking work since 2011 and has specifically been with CAST since 2014. She began as a Staff Attorney and eventually transitioned to the Technical Assistance role.
You can learn about CAST by visiting their website online. Here is a link to the Training and Technical Assistance Program to learn about the free support to attorneys and social service providers assisting trafficking survivors. For our attorney and legal providers that listen, here is a link for trauma-informed lawyering resources. You can make a donation to CAST and follow them on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Linked in.
Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our immigration newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes.
On the 27th episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen welcomes Amanda Schuft. Amanda Schuft is the Legal Services Director of Community Defense Programs at Immigrant Defenders Law Center. Immigrant Defenders Law Center is Southern California's largest deportation defense non-profit. They provide full‐scale deportation defense, legal representation, legal education, and connections to social services. Amanda has been a part of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center team for almost 8 years while serving various roles. Her focus is in representing adults who have been detained by ICE and who have been found incompetent to represent themselves through their National Qualified Representative Program. She is also the Directing Attorney for ImmDef's Deported Veteran Program where she helps veterans who have been deported with legal resources and post-conviction relief in an effort to eventually get legal status in the U.S. Prior to this, she was a staff attorney at Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project. She attended the University of Oregon School of Law.
Amanda explains how she always knew she wanted a career that was of service to people. Her mother was a teacher and would help vulnerable students better access the education system. Amanda became a bilingual teacher in Honduras for a year and eventually realized education was not for her. She pursued law school instead and eventually understood that there was a real need in the immigrant community to better access the legal system. Now she dedicates herself to representing individuals that are not competent to represent themselves in immigration court and has made huge strides in helping deported veterans come back home.
You can learn more about the Deported Veterans Program on ImmDef’s website here. For client referral’s you can email deportedvets@immdef.org.
You can also make a donation here or sign up to volunteer here. Please follow ImmDef on Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, Linked-In and Twitter. Amanda Schuft is on Linked-In.
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On the 26th episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen interviews Rev. Andrew (Andy) J. Bales, the CEO of Union Rescue Mission. Union Rescue Mission (URM) is one of the largest missions of its kind — bringing help and hope to men, women, and children experiencing homelessness in Downtown Los Angeles. URM is an organization that was founded in 1891 which dedicates itself to helping men, women, and children escape the streets of Skid Row through food, shelter, education, counseling, and long-term recovery program. During their early days, URM took to the streets in gospel wagons to offer food, clothing, and salvation to the less fortunate. Over the years, URM has continued and expanded its efforts to feed both the body and the soul, helping individuals and families break the cycle of poverty and achieve self-sufficiency.
On this episode of Immigration Today! Andy talks to us about his upbringing and how he came into the field of service naturally. His father experienced homelessness and alcoholism. That, coupled with his eventual passion for teaching and his faith brought him to lean a hand in and help those in need. Andy Bales has over 35 years of experience in community outreach and service to the homeless community. While at URM, he has assisted in the development of transitional housing and permanent supportive housing for the community of LA. Andy has had a pivotal role in reshaping hospital and governmental policies related to the “dumping” of homeless patients on to the streets of Skid Row. Andy’s present focus is organizing and working with community partners to address the epidemic of homelessness in Los Angeles.
Andy discusses the diverse demographic that exists in the streets of LA, including the growing Latinx and undocumented population. He also describes the work being done by LA Mayor Karen Bass and the strong support she has given to not only get people off the streets, but to treat the long history of mental illness that haunts our fellow Angelenos.
Andy was named as the 930th Point of Light by President George Bush in 1992, receiving the 1999 Des Moines NAACP Community Service Award, and receiving the 2004 Martin Luther King, Jr. Award from the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Pasadena. He was declared a Treasure of LA by the Central City Association in 2017. He has been featured in CBS’s 60 Minutes, NBC’s Dateline, CNN and Social Media, and is a frequent guest speaker at conferences, schools, and clubs. The list goes on.
You can support Union Rescue Mission by making a donating here. You can also register to be a volunteer here. If you or someone you know is experiencing homelessness, URM can help. To learn more about their emergency and recovery services, please call them at (213) 347-6300. Follow Union Rescue Mission on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube!
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On the 25th episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen welcomes Juliana Serrano from Planned Parenthood. Juliana Serrano is the Vice President of Advocacy & Equity at Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley (PPPSGV). In this role, Juliana works to advance their mission through the strategic implementation of electoral and advocacy activities that promote policies favorable to Planned Parenthood at all levels of government. She creates and leads the vision and strategy for community affairs, government affairs, and advocacy work, and she also leads the organization’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, focused on partnerships for health equity in our communities.
Before this, Juliana was the Senior Associate for Peace & Justice and the Office for Creative Connections at All Saints Church for more than eleven years. She was honored to work on efforts such as police reform; the fight for $15; immigrant rights; homelessness; affordable housing; health care access; reintegration; environmental justice; voting rights and more. To this day, she still serves on The City of Pasadena’s first Community Police Oversight Commission as well as many other positions that have allowed her to advocate for change in Pasadena and greater Los Angeles. Juliana is the daughter of Colombian immigrant parents. Juliana received her B.A. in Psychology, with minors in Sociology and Philosophy, from Loyola Marymount University (LMU/LA).
In this episode Juliana tells us about her spirituality and life in college and how that ignited her love for social change. She has been an advocate for many communities all throughout her years and eventually landed in Planned Parenthood doing work in reproductive justice. Juliana describes the work she does at PPPSGV and the intersection between immigrant rights and reproductive justice. She also goes into detail about the recent Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and what Planned Parenthood is doing to fight this. She expresses the way in which these threats to healthcare access affect immigrant and marginalized communities at a higher rate.
You can keep up with the work Planned Parenthood does via their Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. You can find Juliana Serrano directly on LinkedIn. Signup to be a volunteer with PPPSGV via their website. Please consider donating as well!
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On the 24th episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen welcomes Jessica Viramontes. Jessica is a proud daughter of Mexican immigrant parents. She taught Ethnic Studies & Global Leadership for 12 years before becoming an Immigration attorney. She's traveled to several countries all over the world meeting with different community groups around the issues of food justice, land rights, migration/refugees, climate justice, mass incarceration, and resistance. She has organized with immigrant communities and helped create a cooperative of day laborers that would remove lawns to restore native plants and promote growing food in LA. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Chicana/o Studies and Humanities, from Loyola Marymount University, and her Master of Arts degree in Ethnic Studies from San Francisco State University. She has her juris doctor from Peoples College of Law. Jessica is a Staff Attorney with CARECEN's College Legal Services Project providing free legal services to community college students, staff and faculty. She is an urban farmer, a soccer player and plays traditional son jarocho music.
Jessica has always been interested in traveling which exposed her to a variety of social movements and immigrant struggles. She taught Chicano studies for 12 years and eventually became an attorney with CARECEN. CARECEN (Central American Resource Center Los Angeles) is the largest Central American immigrant rights organization in the country, that empowers Central Americans and all immigrants by defending human and civil rights, working for social and economic justice, and promoting cultural diversity. Jessica specifically assists low income undocumented students (a lot of them DACA recipients) navigate their journey through higher education by offering free legal services.
You can learn more about CARECEN and the services they offer via their website. If you are a student that wants to connect with their College Legal Services Project you can book an appointment here or find other higher education legal services here. Follow CARECEN on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
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On the 23rd episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen welcomes Jenn Budd. Jenn Budd is a former U.S. Border Patrol agent turned immigrant-rights activist. Jenn was a former Senior Patrol agent and Intelligence agent with the U.S. Border Patrol but after many years of witnessing the cruelty and abuse of the agency towards migrants, she decided to denounce her position and speak out against the agency. Jenn is also the author of her memoir Against the Wall – My Journey from Border Patrol Agent to Immigrant Right Activist. She wrote this book in hopes that it would help change the brutal and inhumane immigration system. Her journey is not just a look at the inside of the U.S. Border Patrol, but a look into what enforcing such inhumane policies does to both agents and migrants. She discusses issues of racism, mental health, being LGBTQ, being an ally, working in an abusive environment and how to survive. Jenn Budd has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, Vice, CBS and many other outlets which have helped share her unique story.
In this episode, Jenn tells us about her upbringing in Northern Alabama and how she joined the U.S. border patrol as a sort of escape from her abusive household. She goes into detail on the type of work she did detaining migrants crossing the border and the reality of what happens there. Jenn also recounts very personal stories of her experience with hazing, harassment and sexual assault, as well as the mental health issues she later had to cope with. You can read more about this in Jenn Budd’s memoir Against the Wall – My Journey from Border Patrol Agent to Immigrant Right Activist.
Purchase a copy of her book on Barnes & Noble or Amazon to learn more about her story. Keep up with Jenn Budd on her website, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our immigration newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes.
DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On the 22nd episode of Immigration Today! Angeline interviews Juan Escalante. Juan Escalante is a formerly undocumented nationally renowned digital strategist and widely recognized immigration advocate. Juan’s immigration story began when his parents fled Venezuela in the year 2000, with Juan and his two brothers, following the election of Hugo Chavez. In 2006, an immigration attorney mishandled the Escalante’s case, which led them to lose their immigration status despite “waiting in line” while paying taxes and immigration fees. By the time President Obama announced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in 2012, Juan had graduated from Florida State University with a political science degree and had helped spearhead some of the digital tactics used in immigration-related campaigns across the country. Juan returned to FSU and obtained a master’s degree in public administration in 2015. He has remained a fierce and relentless advocate for immigrant rights and leads state and national efforts to pass sensible immigration legislation. Juan resides in Los Angeles and his work has been highlighted in a wide range of publications, including The New York Times, USA Today, Univision, CNN and Netflix.
In this podcast, Juan details out his immigration story and how this affected his decision to become an advocate today. Unlike many undocumented immigrants, Juan entered the U.S. legally with a visa and had hopes of becoming a citizen at a young age. After being a victim of fraud from predatory attorneys, he and his family had to navigate the reality of being undocumented. Juan has now gained lawful permanent residency but continues to use his voice to keep DACA and fight for a more permanent solution for Dreamers and others who are undocumented. He uses the power of the internet to tell his story and shape immigration narratives online in an effort to positively affect the view of undocumented people in this nation.
You can follow Juan on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Linked in. Visit his website here!
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On the 21st episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen welcomes Shauna Siggelkow. Shauna Siggelkow is an experienced digital content producer and strategist, whose work focuses on the intersection of digital media and social justice. She is the Director of Digital Storytelling at Define American where she develops original research-based content strategies to combat xenophobia online. She is a film producer working in media production, research and advocacy, a former producer for MTV’s Emmy-Nominated White People; and formerly on Video & Development at the LA Times.
Define American is a culture change organization that uses the power of narrative to humanize conversations about immigrants. Shauna is the co-author of a new report from Define American which examines the impact of anti-immigration YouTube videos have on the American public.
In this podcast, Shauna goes into depth about how YouTube has the power to affect the American public opinion and action around immigration. Specifically, the report analyzes anti-immigration content, The Great Replacement theory, the way this content is packaged and how it affects real-life decisions of its viewers. The reason this report focuses on the “anti” side is because there is an understanding that in order to refute anti-immigrant arguments it is necessary to understand them as well. Shauna also goes into the “toolkit” that Define American has developed which provides resources for people to combat these narratives.
If you are interested in reading this report you can download a copy at Define America’s website. You can also access their online toolkit here.
Please follow Define American on Instagram, Twitter and Youtube. You can follow Shauna Siggelkow on Instagram and Twitter as well.
Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our immigration newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes.
DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On the 20th episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen welcomes Dr. Tara Watson. Tara Watson is an economist who focuses on U.S. social policy, with interests in the safety net, health, and immigration. She is a Professor of Economics at Williams College since 2004, a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), and a Co-Editor of the Journal of Human Resources. In 2015-2016, Watson served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Microeconomic Analysis in the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Economic Policy. She was previously a Robert Wood Johnson Scholar in Health Policy Research at the University of Michigan, a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, and a Research Associate at the Princeton Center for Research on Child Wellbeing. Dr. Watson earned her Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University in 2003. Her 2021 book, “The Border Within: The Economics of Immigration in an Age of Fear,” (University of Chicago, 2022) co-authored by journalist Kalee Thompson, provides a compelling analysis of the costs and impacts of immigration and immigration policy on every aspect of American life, from the labor force to social welfare programs to tax revenue.
In this interview, Dr. Watson discusses her background as a professor, and explains her passion for researching and writing about immigration. She was approached by the University of Chicago Press in 2014 and was asked if she would be willing to write a book, so she embarked in a years-long journey to do so. One of the most important goals here is to bring more statistical and evidence driven information to the narratives of migration. Tara realized that when an audience learns about immigration its entirely focused on the humanitarian and ethical point of view which can be easy to dismiss. When economists write about immigration, they often just focus on statistics which aren’t very compelling, so marrying the humanitarian and statistical point of view seemed ideal. Economist Tara Watson and Journalist Kalee Thompson pair rigorous analysis with deeply personal stories from immigrants and their families to assess immigration’s effects on every aspect of American life. In this episode, Tara gives us a brief insight into her book as she discusses stereotypes about “immigrants taking American jobs” and “being criminals” and what the data really says about this.
You can buy this book on Amazon and the University of Chicago website. You can also follow Dr. Watson on her Twitter account and LinkedIn to stay up to date with her findings.
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On the 19th episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen welcomes Ginger Cline. Ginger is a Staff Attorney Justice Fellow for Al Otro Lado's Tijuana office. Al Otro Lado is a bi-national advocacy and legal aid organization serving migrants, refugees and deportees in the United States and Mexico. Ginger’s focus is on supporting African and Haitian asylum seekers by advocating for their release from detention and assisting with their asylum applications. In addition, she advises individuals fighting their asylum cases from Tijuana under the Remain in Mexico program. Prior to joining Al Otro Lado, she represented Central American asylum seekers through the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinic, served as Co-President of the Harvard Immigration Project, and interned for a semester at the Boston Immigration Court. During her law school summers, Ginger interned at RAICES Texas, where she represented asylum seeking women detained at the Karnes Detention Center, and at HIAS Kenya where she submitted resettlement applications on behalf of refugees in Nairobi.
In this episode Ginger goes into detail about her background, her educational journey and how she landed in Tijuana advocating for immigrant rights. Her passion for immigrant rights began as an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan where she would volunteer at Freedom House, which is a temporary home for asylum seekers in Detroit. She quickly learned how difficult it was for people to navigate the asylum system in the U.S. She eventually obtained her M.A. in International Relations from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, an M.Sc. in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies from the University of Oxford and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Ginger also goes into detail about how the Ukrainian war has affected her work at the U.S. Mexican border, the differences she has noticed in the treatment of Black asylum seekers, and we also learn about Tittle 42 – a policy implemented using COVID-19 as an excuse to close the border only for asylum seekers. Ginger explains how this has affected her work with Al Otro Lado and what she predicts will happen now that Tittle 42 was set to be lifted on May 23rd.
Al Otro Lado is vigorously working at the border to advocate for the rights of asylum seekers and they rely on the volunteer work and donations of listeners like you. Please consider giving a donation on their website here or sign up to volunteer here. Give them a follow on Facebook, Instagram and Linked In.
Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our immigration newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes.
DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On the 18th episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen introduces us to Laura M. Vargas and Dr. Hannah Janeway from Refugee Health Alliance. Refugee Health Alliance is an organization that was established in 2018 in response to the increasing medical need at the US-Mexican border. They aim to provide ethical, holistic, and culturally-sensitive healthcare to vulnerable populations.
Laura M. Vargas is one of the founders and co-directors of Refugee Health Alliance. She also works in Neurosurgery at a medical center and attended the University of Florida, where she dual majored in Neuroscience and Biochemistry and was a Division 1 Gymnast. Laura immigrated to the United States from Colombia as a child and is the first in her family in medicine. Her immigrant background has had a tremendous effect on the work she does. In this episode she shares a little bit about her background as a young immigrant being raised in America and how that affected her passion for helping those in need.
Dr. Hannah Janeway (they/them)isone of the co-founders and co-directors of Refugee Health Alliance. Dr. Janeway completed medical school at Brown University and now they split their time between Refugee Health Alliance and their work as an Emergency Physician. Their work focuses on re-envisioning healthcare spaces to serve the people who visit them, free from carceral forces, border health and border abolition. Dr. Janeway also shares a bit about their upbringing and how their interactions with the health care system made it apparent that there were great inequities that needed to be addressed.
Refugee Health Alliance began with a group of people responding to the health care needs of people at the border in 2018. At the time, more than 8,000 Central American migrants were arriving in caravans at the U.S. – Mexican border. As the need grew, RHA’s network of health care providers, students, volunteers etc. also grew. Eventually they became an official 501(c)(3) organization and now they have two clinics, Resistencia en Salud and Justicia en Salud. They focus on hiring local Mexican nationals or asylum seekers in order to ensure that the services they provide are holistic and non-hierarchal.
If you want to keep up with this amazing organization please visit them on their website here and social media pages on Facebook, and Instagram. Please consider supporting them through a donation here.
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DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On the 17th episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen interviews Connie Chung Joe, the Chief Executive Officer of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles. They are the nation’s largest legal and civil rights organization for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Connie received her BA in Spanish and International Relations from USC and her JD from Georgetown University Law Center. She has worked alongside immigrant communities for many years and is the daughter of South Korean immigrant parents. Throughout this podcast, she tells us about her own upbringing and the work she does at Asian Americans Advancing Justice – LA.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – LA was founded in 1983 in the wake of the murder of Vincent Chin, a Chinese American killed by two Caucasian auto workers who blamed the Japanese auto industry for the economic demise in Detroit at the time. There then became a rise in Asian American activism, which brought to light the need for organizations that focused on ethnically and culturally specific work. To this day, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – LA serves more than 15,000 individuals and organizations every year. Through direct services, impact litigation, policy advocacy, leadership development, and capacity building, Advancing Justice – LA focuses on the most vulnerable members of Asian American and AANHPI communities while also building a strong voice for civil rights and social justice.
Connie has been honored for her work by the Asian Pacific Women’s Center and Asian American Drug Abuse Program. In 2016, she was appointed by California Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de Leon to the Domestic Violence Advisory Council. In 2017, Connie was named by CA Assembly member Sebastian Ridley-Thomas and LA County Board of Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas a 40 Under 40 Emerging Civic Leader.
You can keep up with this amazing organization via their social media on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Please also consider donating via their website!
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DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On the 16th episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen interviews Shiu-Ming Cheer. Shiu-Ming is the Deputy Director of Programs and Campaigns at the California Immigrant Policy Center. They are a constituent-based, statewide immigrant rights organization that promotes and protects safety, health and public benefits and integration programs for immigrants. They are one of the few organizations that effectively combines legislative and policy advocacy, strategic communications, organizing and capacity building to pursue its mission. Shiu-Ming graduated from U.C. Berkeley and from the Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law. Shiu-Ming has received awards for her community and legal work from the National Lawyers Guild – LA and the Long Beach Immigrant Rights Coalition.
In this podcast, Shiu-Ming goes into detail about how she became involved in immigrant rights as a young college graduate. She migrated to America at the young age of 2 and has over 25 years of experience in immigrant rights and social justice issues. The California Immigrant Policy Center came about because of draconian anti-immigration laws in 1996 that made it impossible for immigrants to access public health benefits. The Center has had victories such as playing a huge role in securing driver's licenses for everyone regardless of immigration status. They also pushed for the CA Values Act in 2017 (SB 54) which prevents state and local law enforcement agencies from using their resources on behalf of federal immigration enforcement agencies. All of this has been influential to the progression of support that other states begin to show toward immigrants.
If you are listening to this episode, you can make a difference in the way these policies play out at your local level. If you are a registered voter or simply a citizen in your city, you have the power to call on your local and state representatives and urge them to support policies that protect immigrants. You can also engage any organization that accepts volunteers for direct action such as the California Immigration Policy Center itself. Please follow CIPC on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Most importantly, consider donating here or sign up for the email alerts on their webpage.
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DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
Welcome to the 15th episode of Immigration Today!. In this episode, Angeline Chen interviews Maru Mora-Villalpando. Maru is a long time immigrant activist and the founder of Latino Advocacy, LLC and co-founder of La Resistencia. La Resistencia is a grassroots organization working to end the detention of immigrants and stop deportations. Specifically, their goal is to shut down the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC), and to end all detention and deportation in Washington State. Latino Advocacy provides policy development and advocacy consulting to organizations and grassroots groups in Washington state. They empower organizations to organize effectively by conducting workshops, facilitating group meetings, and providing leadership development training to leaders.
In this episode, Maru explains how she became politicized and how she got involved in the struggle for immigrant rights. She grew up in Mexico D.F. and quickly became aware of the social movements that took place in her city as well as she became aware of the struggles that forced her out of her native land. Upon her arrival in the United States, Maru quickly found similar activist circles and found herself heavily involved in the fight to close Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) and for-profit detention centers in the state. Maru became a target as an undocumented activist herself and faced her own deportation case in the midst of all of this. After a long battle, Maru’s deportation case was dropped and she was granted lawful permanent residency.
Maru has been featured in Univision, KUOW radio station, The Seattle Times, Los Angeles Times, The Globalist, Democracy Now! and many more. You can support La Resistencia in many ways. Please consider donating here. You can also follow La Resistencia on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date with their actions.
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DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On the 14th episode of Immigration Today! we welcome Sara Mora. Sara is a storyteller, digital strategist and activist. She is the founder of Population MIC which is a think tank initiative focused on making storytelling tools accessible. Population MIC is a project that builds bridges between folks doing activist work and creative tools. Sara is dedicated to education equality, language accessibility, storyteller rights and migrant rights. A DACA recipient herself, she has dedicated her youth to strategizing ways to support her community.
In this episode, Sara tells us about her upbringing in New Jersey and how it has impacted her work today. She also tells us about her meetup with the President of Costa Rica and how that impacted her love for social movements and media today. There she understood the gaps in conversation between world leaders and low income immigrants. She realized that the people most impacted by change in laws usually have the least access to the conversations needed to change them. She understands the power of media and how it can be used to shape narratives and stories.
Sara uses her love for social media to create a platform for many young immigrants needing a voice. After Trump rescinded DACA, Sara became part of a lawsuit against Trump and his administration’s actions which led to a win that made Sara a young voice defeating discrimination. Sara is also involved in youth leadership programs and served as Co-President of Women's March Youth Empower in late 2018.
She has been featured on OPRAH'S 8 Young Visionaries, Seventeen Mag's 2020 Voices of the Year, GIRLBOSS Radio Podcast, has worked with Banana Republic, HBO Max, Adobe, and most recently UNICEF. She was recently listed on Premios Juventud as an agent of change in her community. Sara Mora can be found on @MissSaraMora on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also book Sara Mora as a keynote speaker or a panelist at your event. Book her here!
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DISCLAIMER – The views and opinions expressed in the podcast represent the view of the host and guest(s) and not necessarily the official view of Clark Hill PLC. No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On the 13th episode of Immigration Today! we welcome Meymuna Hussein-Cattan, an executive, entrepreneur, and owner of Flavors From Afar. Flavors From Afar is a black-owned social-enterprise restaurant that brings traditional recipes and global flavors to Los Angeles. Located in Little Ethiopia, Flavors From Afar uniquely highlights chefs who are refugees, indigenous people, and immigrants who make cuisines from around the world. She also focuses on job creation and entrepreneurship. Aside from that, Meymuna is the CEO of the Tiyya Foundation, an award-winning grassroots organization that supports families of immigrants, refugees, and displaced Americans.
Meymuna’ s passion for helping immigrants is interconnected to her upbringing. She was born in a refugee camp in Somalia to Ethiopian parents. Her family is indigenous to East Africa and a huge inspiration for the work she does today. Meymuna received her BA in Social Sciences from UC Irvine and MA in Organizational Management from Antioch University. Meymuna has been recognized by the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, was a PBS/ KTLA Local Hero nominee, was selected Woman of the Year by Congressman Adam Schiff, has been publicized in the LA Times, Buzzfeed, Voyage LA, and much more.
Flavors From Afar launched during challenging times in the midst of the rise of the pandemic, however, they have stayed afloat and have gained great recognition. They have plans of continuing to expand and you do not want to miss it! Pay them a visit and try a dish from their exquisite menu! Please also consider donating to the Tiyya Foundation and following them on their social media handles: Instagram, Facebook , LinkedIn.
Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes!
DISCLAIMER – The views and opinions expressed in the podcast represent the view of the host and guest(s) and not necessarily the official view of Clark Hill PLC. No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On the 12th episode of Immigration Today! we welcome Dulce Garcia, the Executive Director of Border Angels. Border Angels is a nonprofit organization that advocates for human rights at the U.S. Mexican Border. Their work focuses on attempting to reduce the number of fatalities at the border through direct action such as water drops at the desert to help immigrants battling dehydration along their journey into the U.S and direct humanitarian aid.
Dulce Garcia was raised in San Diego and is an undocumented DACA recipient herself. She is a witness of the hardships many immigrants face but despite of this she graduated from UCSD with a bachelor's degree in Political Science and attended law school at Cleveland Marshall College of Law. Since then she opened her private practice in 2016 and has provided assistance to many low income immigrants. Dulce also sued Trump and the administration after the termination of DACA. As a result of those efforts, hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients are able to renew their DACA status. She has received the “Women of the Year” award by Assembly Woman Lorena S. Gonzalez.
In this podcast, Dulce recounts her personal journey as an undocumented immigrant growing up near the border in San Diego. She is a business owner, property owner, an attorney, and she pays taxes. Even after 33 years she does not have a path to citizenship like thousands of other migrants in the U.S. She also tells us about her brother’s deportation case and how she fought to bring him back.
Border Angels relies on the generosity of donations from listeners like you – please consider donating via their website. You can also follow them on social media to stay up to date with all that they do: Facebook, Instagram, Linked in, or YouTube.
Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes!
DISCLAIMER – The views and opinions expressed in the podcast represent the view of the host and guest(s) and not necessarily the official view of Clark Hill PLC. No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On the 11th episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen interviews Guerline Jozef, President of Haitian Bridge Alliance. Guerline is a woman on the move with a passion to serve others and promote her beloved Haiti. Haitian Bridge Alliance is a nonprofit community organization that assists thousands of refugees in their journey to America. Their mission is to guide, elevate, and empower Haitian immigrants through advocacy, organizing, outreach, and direct services such as Immigration detention visits, transitional housing, legal assistance, and educational, social and cultural programs. Haitian Bridge Alliance is the only Haitian female-led organization that provides support in Mexico at the U.S.-Mexico border. Guerline seeks to create a community and a movement that is inclusive of all people. She makes sure that black narratives are at the forefront of her movement while attempting to make real systematic change for everyone. She was recently honored the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award.
In this podcast Guerline discusses her background and what led her to start this organization. She also goes into the current state of things in Haiti – from political turmoil, the crisis at the Southern border, and the mass deportation of asylum seekers from the Biden Administration. Haitian Bridge Alliance is in need of your help to support migrants who have gone through deportation proceedings or who are seeking assistance at the border. Please provide financial support by visiting this link here. If you are an attorney that can provide legal support through pro-bono work please email info@haitianbridge.org to get more information.
Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes!
DISCLAIMER – The views and opinions expressed in the podcast represent the view of the host and guest(s) and not necessarily the official view of Clark Hill PLC. No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On the 10th episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen interviews Miry Whitehill, the founder and Executive Director of Miry’s List. Miry’s list is a nonprofit organization in CA dedicated to helping refugee families with resources to resettle in to their new homes in the United States. Miry started Miry's List in July 2016 when a friend introduced her to a family of newly arrived Syrian refugees resettling in Los Angeles with kids the same age as her own. There she realized that refugees required assistance even after their arrival to the United States.
Miry's List provides a mechanism for people to directly help new arrival refugee families with the things that they need to get started in their new lives – from diapers to beds to cleaning supplies and toiletries. They use crowdsourcing and social media to connect people who want to help, with new refugee families who have needs that are not completely met by the organizations that sponsor them. Each family has unique needs, so each family has a unique "list" of supplies to get started, and Miry’s list takes care of that.
Miry’s List depends on donations from listeners like you. Please consider donating at this link. Your donation can help a child to have a bed to sleep on. Please also follow Miry’s list on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook to stay up to date with their work.
Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes!
DISCLAIMER – The views and opinions expressed in the podcast represent the view of the host and guest(s) and not necessarily the official view of Clark Hill PLC. No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On this episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen interviews Mohammad Tajsar, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Southern California. Mohammad’s work focuses on national security and counterterrorism policy, with a particular focus on the impacts of U.S. national security law on Arab, Muslim, Middle Eastern, and South Asian communities. Mohammad also works on police misconduct, government surveillance, and protecting individuals’ and organizations’ rights in the digital world.
Mohammad describes where his passion for civil rights stem from and how being a Muslim and a father has affected his work. He goes into detail about his early career and how he landed at the ACLU. Mohammad’s current docket includes Fazaga v. FBI, a challenge to the FBI’s surveillance of mosques in Orange County, and Phillips v. Customs and Border Protection, a constitutional challenge to the surveillance and detention of immigrant rights lawyers and non-profit leaders. On this episode Mohammad discusses his position in protecting people's civil rights and freedoms through legal advocacy.
If you are interested in learning more about the surveillance of Muslims at the mosque in Orange County listen to this podcast recommended by Mohammad Tajsar himself: This American Life – The Convert.
Find more information about the ACLU here. Please also follow them on social media to stay up to date with their latest: LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our immigration newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes.
DISCLAIMER – The views and opinions expressed in the podcast represent the view of the host and guest(s) and not necessarily the official view of Clark Hill PLC. No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On this episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen interviews Nancy Sanchez, an award winning singer-song writer. Nancy is known for her interesting variety of styles ranging from jazz, mariachi, regional Mexican music, pop, and much more. Nancy is not your typical artist – she is bilingual, multi-cultural, and a strong advocate of immigrant and women’s rights. Her music is unique because she speaks about social justice, immigrants, and the issues they face, while thriving in often male-dominated music genres. Nancy is a 3 Time Winner of the Orange County Jazz and Latin Music Awards, a featured artist in Telemundo’s Acceso Total, and her song La Gran Civilizacion was selected in the top 10 songs of 2020 by NPR’s Alt. Latino. These are just a few of her accolades!
Nancy fell in love with music at a very young age. In this podcast she recounts her journey migrating to the United States from Toluca, Mexico and how this shaped her musical career. Because she is an immigrant, she feels the need to express her experiences and those of many others through her music. Not only does she perform – but she is also very involved in non-profit work that has a direct impact in uplifting migrant communities. Nancy uses her artistic talents to advocate against injustice and oppression and is a great example of what it means to use your voice for change.
You can follow Nancy on Instagram and Facebook and subscribe to her YouTube channel! Make sure to listen to her latest album La Gran Civilizacion on all platforms!
Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our immigration newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes.
DISCLAIMER – The views and opinions expressed in the podcast represent the view of the host and guest(s) and not necessarily the official view of Clark Hill PLC. No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On this episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen interviews Lindsay Toczylowski, Executive Director of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, an organization founded by a dedicated group of advocates and activists interested in creating an organization on the vanguard of the movement for a public defender system for immigrants facing deportation. They are fighting back every day against the immigration system's campaign of cruelty against migrants at the border with a focus on assisting children and families. Lindsay is a social entrepreneur whose work to increase access to justice for immigrants is at the forefront of the movement for universal representation. Lindsay also served as the Overseas Operations Director at Asylum Access, an international nonprofit that fights for the rights of refugees in the global South. She was recently named one of California’s Top 40 Under 40 Lawyers by the Daily Journal. Lindsay is the proud mother of two revolutionaries-in-training, and they are her inspiration to keep fighting for social justice every day.
Lindsay describes her experience defending kids in foster care and how that funneled her into providing legal representation for immigrant children. Her work is unique as she was one of the first attorneys in the Los Angeles area exclusively representing unaccompanied minors. This eventually paved the road in founding Immigrant Defenders Law Center. They are strong believers that no child should be forced to face an unjust immigration system alone.
If you are interested in learning more about their work please check out their website and consider making a donation. Give them a follow on social media: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn!
Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our immigration newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes!
DISCLAIMER – The views and opinions expressed in the podcast represent the view of the host and guest(s) and not necessarily the official view of Clark Hill PLC. No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On this episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen interviews Sima Alizadeh, an Iranian-born Senior Immigration Attorney at Pars Equality Center, a nonprofit organization that assists low-income Middle Eastern and South Asian communities of the Bay Area and Los Angeles, with legal and social services. She is a graduate of U.C. Hastings Law School and has been aiding the Afghan community for the last 10 years. She leads the Pars Afghan Support Project which is committed to matching Afghan nationals with volunteers to help with the filing of humanitarian parole applications, and assist in evacuations and perform strong congressional advocacy work. In her role with the Afghan Support Project, Sima recruits and trains Pars volunteers and attorneys nationwide, and matches them with cases. Sima is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and has served as AILA faculty at various conferences. She is currently on the AILA Afghan Task Force creating relevant material for, and responses to, the crisis.
In this podcast, Sima explains what is going on in Afghanistan and how Afghans are attempting to flee the country to safety. She delves into the different ways that people are leaving and what can be done to aid Afghan nationals.
PARS Equality Center has received hundreds of inquiries and is in need of assistance from attorneys, volunteers, translators, and anyone with a devotion to those in need. If upon listening to this episode, you are inclined to help, you can find more information about volunteering or donating here. You can also check out their Facebook Fundraiser and make a contribution. Further, lawyers, volunteers, and firms can offer to assist with the humanitarian parole applications by emailing Afghansupport@parsequalitycenter.org .
You can follow PARS Equality Center on Facebook and Instagram, or connect directly via their website.
DISCLAIMER – The views and opinions expressed in the podcast represent the view of the host and guest(s) and not necessarily the official view of Clark Hill PLC. No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On today’s episode we are pleased to have Nicole Ramos, Director of Al Otro Lado . Al Otro Lado is a binational non-profit organization providing holistic legal and humanitarian support to indigent refugees, deportees, and other migrants in the U.S. and Tijuana through a multidisciplinary, client-centered, harm reduction-based practice. Nicole Ramos fiercely advocates for immigrants at the border by helping asylum seekers in Tijuana, Mexico who wish to present themselves to immigration authorities. She is incredibly brave and fearless – not only is she constantly in front of the U.S. government challenging the practice of turning away asylum seekers at the border – but she is also equipping these families with the knowledge needed to advocate for themselves. Nicole is also an Adjunct Professor at Temple University Beasley School of Law and lectures extensively at universities, law schools, and professional conferences throughout the United States and Mexico regarding the impact of border enforcement practices and policies on asylum seekers.
She talks about the impact of the Migrant Protection Program (MPP), Title 42, the reality many unaccompanied minors face and the lack of basic human aid provided to these refugees. Her work is complex and ground breaking – Al Otro Lado is assuring that asylum seekers can meet their needs with dignity.
If you are interested in learning more about Al Otro Lado and Nicole’s Ramos work please consider donating to their page at this link!
Please also follow Al Otro Lado on social media: Facebook, Instagram , Twitter and Linked in!
DISCLAIMER – The views and opinions expressed in the podcast represent the view of the host and guest(s) and not necessarily the official view of Clark Hill PLC. No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
“I have gotten to witness firsthand the trauma that it causes to people…all folks that have had abuse in detention. Money helps but money does not take away the trauma that people experience from being subjected to this kind of abuse and misconduct.”
On this episode of Immigration Today! meet Trina Realmuto, the Executive Director at the National Immigration Litigation Alliance. With over twenty years of experience in immigration, damages, and transparency litigation in federal courts, Trina has litigated and argued several precedent decisions and is a frequent presenter on immigration issues. Most recently, Trina was a Directing Attorney of Litigation at the American Immigration Council, the Litigation Director of the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild and as a consulting attorney to the Council. She has done great work abroad representing noncitizens applying for visas at U.S. embassies and consulates and has even won awards for her excellence in immigration litigation.
Trina became acquainted with immigrant struggles from a very young age. Her mother grew up in the outskirts of rural New York and Trina’s grandfather was a farmer who had some onion fields. Trina’s mother would pick onions with the migrant workers. There she grew a strong appreciation for the hard work that these migrant workers did and instilled these values to her children. Trina later went to law school and started working with migrant farmers herself through “know your rights” presentations herself which further exposed her to her career in immigration law.
Specifically, she fights cases under the Federal Tort Claims Act which is a statute that allows people to make claims against the federal government for damages on account of mistreatment at the hands of federal officers. Trina works with these type of claims to make real systemic change which has a lasting impact in the future of immigration policies for all. Trina is an inspiration to many and an example of what it means to fight for immigrant rights.
If you want to support the National Immigration Litigation Alliance please consider donating via their website. You can even join their Strategic Assistance program for more in depth detail of the wonderful work they do!
Give them a follow on twitter, Linked-in and Facebook!
DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
“How can I live so well when a lot of people are suffering? I knew I had to do something to help my people.”
On this episode of Immigration Today! with Angeline Chen, meet Leticia Herrera, the owner of a migrant shelter in Tijuana Mexico called Pro Amore DEI that houses asylum seekers. This shelter hosts around 185 people including 60 children. One of the unique qualities of this shelter is that they work with the Yes We Can World Foundation and turned a school bus into a classroom for kids. You can review the LA Times article here.
In the podcast, Leticia details why she does this work, what is provided in the shelter, and how you can help.
I had the pleasure of meeting Letitia as the cofounder of Rise to Reunite, a volunteer group that helps reunite families separated at the border. We volunteer with Al Otro Lado, which is a bipartisan legal services organization assisting migrants in Tijuana and Los Angeles. We have brought volunteers to Pro Amore DEI consistently from the middle of 2018 to 2020 providing humanitarian aid and legal services. Leticia is one of the strongest and most committed people I know, doing this work out of the kindness of her heart.
You can follow Pro Amore Dei on Facebook.
If you are interested in donating money to help with food, water, diapers, medical supplies, utility bills, etc., you can donate directly to this shelter by using pay pal at this linkPro Amore Dei
You can also donate food, clothes, and supplies directly to the shelter by contacting Leticia through Whatsapp at +52 664 232 3116 or through www.borderangels.org.
DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
On this episode of the Immigration Today! podcast with Angeline Chen, meet Angelica Salas, the Executive Director of the Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights also known as CHIRLA. From 1999 to now, she has transformed CHIRLA into one of the nation’s largest and most effective immigrant rights organizations. CHIRLA is a mass membership immigrant-led organization that empowers immigrants and their families to win local, state, and national policies that advance their human, civil, and labor rights. Among her achievements include: winning in-state, financial aid, and grant programs for California’s undocumented students, winning drivers’ licenses for undocumented drivers, decoupling local police departments from immigration enforcement, and winning Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
Angelica is an immigrant from Durango, Mexico, and came to the United States as a child to reunite with her parents. She comes to her understanding of immigrants and immigration first hand. She and her entire family lived in the country undocumented, experienced deportation, and were able to legalize their status. In 2008, she became a U.S. citizen.
“When you really think about family separation, just think about your kids and ask, ‘How long could I be away from my children? What would I be willing to risk for them?’ And all of a sudden, the answer is…anything.”
I have had the pleasure of knowing Angelica through the YWCA Pasadena, where she was a recipient of the Women for Racial Justice Award at the annual breakfast and has been a valuable supporter of the YWCA. I am truly inspired by her leadership, voice, and unstoppable drive to help immigrants.
Learn more about CHIRLA and how you can help at www.CHIRLA.org and on IG @chirla_org.
DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
Join Clark Hill’s Angeline Chen, a leading immigration attorney, in discussing the impacts of US immigration law and policy. On Immigration Today, Angeline interviews leaders, experts, advocates, and volunteers in immigration and immigrant rights on the issues, their experiences, and their advice on how YOU can make a difference.
On this episode, meet Erika Pinheiro, the litigation and policy director for Al Otro Lado, a binational non-profit organization providing legal and humanitarian support to indigent refugees, deportees, and other migrants in the US and Tijuana. Erika leads her organization's efforts in filing class action lawsuits challenging the Trump administration's attacks on the US asylum system, on unfair labor practices, and severe medical neglect in immigration detention facilities.
"They haven’t funded any of it in the past. I think that a lot of people believe that the government has tried to reunify the families they have located. And the only reason why there are still families separated is because they have not been found. That cannot be further from the truth."
Her team has reunified many separated families, including parents who were deported without their children, and has freed dozens of asylum seekers detained at the border. Her work has been frequently featured in national and international media outlets. Her Ted Talk about the border situation has over 2 million views.
I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Erika through Rise to Reunite, a volunteer group I co-founded to help reunite families separated at the border.
Erika is my personal hero. She is my hero because she and her team are literally saving lives, by serving and assisting the most vulnerable population. They not only provide legal services but humanitarian aid to the migrant shelters in Tijuana by providing direct support in the form of emergency food and housing assistance, urgent medical care, hygiene supplies and PPE, and other critical needs during the pandemic.
DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.
Join Clark Hill’s Angeline Chen, a leading immigration attorney, in discussing the impacts of US immigration law and policy. On Immigration Today, Angeline interviews leaders, experts, advocates and volunteers in immigration and immigrant rights on the issues, their experiences and their advice on how YOU can make a difference.