ABRIL NEWMAN

(she/they/ella/elle) abril[@]ccijustice.org

ABRIL NEWMAN

(she/they/ella/elle) abril[@]ccijustice.org

ARMIDA MENDOZA

she/her armida[@]ccijustice.org

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Armida is a first-generation college student and first in her family to graduate from law school. She is a proud Mixteca from Oaxaca, Mexico. For the last 10 years, she has worked in various nonprofit organizations assisting low-income immigrant communities throughout the San Joaquin Central Valley. As a Department of Justice partially accredited representative, Armida has had the opportunity to assist hundreds of families to apply for various types of immigration relief.

 

As a child, Armida worked alongside her parents in the agricultural fields in the San Joaquin Central Valley. Although her parents never had the opportunity to attend school, they taught her the importance of a higher education to become a resource to her community. Armida graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. Her interest in law arose through a volunteer internship opportunity at the California Rural Legal Assistance Fresno office. Since then, she has dedicated her professional career to assisting low income farm working immigrant families in various nonprofit organizations. Armida obtained her J.D. from San Joaquin College of Law in May of 2022 and is awaiting bar results. She is excited and feels honored to have been selected to be part of the important work of California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice (CCIJ).

Armida is proud of her indigenous and immigrant background. She finds inspiration and motivation in every client’s story to continue advocating for immigrant rights. She is passionate about serving immigrant communities and advocating for policy changes that will benefit future generations to come.

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COSME MEDINA

he/him cosme[@]ccijustice.org

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As CCIJ’s Administrative Coordinator, Cosme provides crucial support for the CCIJ team’s work to build power towards collective liberation and end ICE detention. As a first-generation Mexican-American university graduate from California’s Central Valley, Cosme’s family background is what led to his interest in pursuing a career in furthering immigrant justice. His family migrated to the U.S. from Mexico and began working in agriculture, and he grew up in Kern County – where Mesa Verde and Golden State Annex ICE detention centers now operate. Being personally affected by the immigration system in California, Cosme brings firsthand experience as well as his skills and education to our team.

 

Cosme holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Davis. During university, he gained internship experience with the National Immigration Forum in Washington, D.C. where he became familiar with the role organizations have in the immigration sector. Cosme aims to continue his education and become actively involved in advocating for immigrant rights and abolition. 

 

Cosme is excited to learn more about legislation proposals, litigation, and community organizing.

EDWIN CARMONA-CRUZ

(he/him/él) edwin [@]ccijustice.org

EDWIN CARMONA-CRUZ

(he/him/él) edwin [@]ccijustice.org

EDWIN CARMONA-CRUZ

(he/him/él) edwin [@]ccijustice.org

KATIE KAVANAGH

(she/her/ella) katie[@]ccijustice.org

LISA KNOX

(she/her/ella) lisa[@]ccijustice.org

MARIEL VILLARREAL

she/her mariel[@]ccijustice.org

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Mariel leads the organization’s legal assistance and advocacy at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility in Calexico, CA, working with individuals detained inside to offer legal and pro se assistance; connect them with outside representation and advocacy efforts; and strategize around litigation, organizing, and policy actions, including investigating potential suits under AB3228 to hold the private detention operator of the Imperial facility (and other detention facilities) accountable for human rights violations that occur within its walls.

 

Prior to joining CCIJ in June 2022, Mariel was a Co-Director and Immigration Attorney at Pangea Legal Services in San Francisco, CA, where she represented detained and non-detained immigrants in their removal proceedings. She attended NYU School of Law as a Latinx Rights Scholar, where she participated in the Immigrant Rights Clinic and Advanced Immigrant Rights Clinic, and was awarded the Christian Jarecki ‘98 Memorial Prize for outstanding work and commitment in a law clinic. Mariel also completed legal internships at The Door, the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, and the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office. Before law school, Mariel worked as a paralegal with the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project in New York. She holds B.A.s from Columbia University in Comparative Ethnic Studies and History.

 

Mariel is excited to be working directly with leaders in detention and taking their lead on demanding the things they need inside, the changes they wish to see, and ultimately freedom for themselves and all others in detention.

PABLO BADRA 

(she/her/ella) pablo[@]ccijustice.org

PABLO BADRA 

(she/her/ella) pablo[@]ccijustice.org

PABLO BADRA 

(she/her/ella) pablo[@]ccijustice.org

PABLO BADRA 

(she/her/ella) pablo[@]ccijustice.org