Susan Reed
Managing Attorney
Susan Reed
Managing Attorney
Susan E. Reed is Managing Attorney with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. Susan is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School and Marquette University. Susan has practiced immigration and immigrant rights law since 2003. Susan has also served as a staff attorney at Farmworker Legal Services of Michigan and as a regional attorney for Justice for Our Neighbors, the immigration legal services program of the United Methodist Committee on Relief. Her particular interests include the intersection of family and immigration law, the rights of unaccompanied immigrant children, immigrant eligibility for public benefits and programs, and civil rights. In 2013, Susan was appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to the Foreign Language Board of Review as the LEP Populations Advocate and served as a committee member of the Court's Limited English Proficiency Implementation Advisory Committee. Susan is a proud member of the first class of W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Leadership Network Fellows.
Ruby Robinson
Managing Attorney
Ruby Robinson
Managing Attorney
Ruby focuses, primarily, on immigration relief available to victims of domestic violence and crime. He graduated from Wayne State University Law School and the University of Michigan. He worked as a staff attorney at Lakeshore Legal Aid's Counsel & Advocacy Law Line and at LA VIDA, a partnership of Lakeshore Legal Aid and Community Health and Social Services, Inc. During law school, Ruby worked as student attorney with the school's Asylum and Immigration Law Clinic, during which he represented clients in asylum cases. Prior to law school, Ruby served as an AmeriCorps*VISTA in Brooklyn, NY for a social services agency. He is available to consult on and assist with cases involving victims of crime and domestic violence, as well as naturalization matters.
Ana Raquel Devereaux
Supervising Attorney
Ana Raquel Devereaux
Supervising Attorney
Ana Raquel Devereaux has been an attorney with Michigan Immigrant Rights Center since December of 2014. She began her work with MIRC representing unaccompanied children seeking asylum, SIJS, and T- visas. Ana Raquel has also represented victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Ana Raquel is a fluent Spanish speaker and she attended Calvin College for her undergraduate degree in International Relations with a minor in Latin American Studies and received her J.D. from Wayne State University.
Diana Marin
Supervising Attorney
Diana Marin
Supervising Attorney
Diana joins MIRC as a supervising attorney supporting MIRC's growing farmworker and immigrant worker litigation team. Diana graduated from Fordham University School of Law in 2012 and has been practicing workers' rights litigation since. After law school, Diana was an associate at a plaintiffs' side employment firm in New Paltz, NY handling class and collection actions across the country and in a variety of industries. She then worked at the Urban Justice Center's Community Development Project supporting New York City worker centers organizing against wage theft and representing low-wage immigrant workers in employment matters before state and federal courts and administrative agencies. Diana moved to Michigan in late 2016, and prior to joining MIRC, worked for Farmworker Legal Services of Michigan litigating on behalf of migrant and seasonal farmworkers in the state of Michigan.
Anna Hill
Staff Attorney
Anna Hill
Staff Attorney
Anna graduated from the University of Michigan Law School and the University of California, Berkeley. After graduating she worked as an Overseas Fellow with a legal clinic for victims of human trafficking at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México in Mexico City. As a law student she served as a student attorney with Michigan Law’s Human Trafficking Clinic and as a legal intern for an immigration law firm. She also interned with the University of California, Berkeley’s East Bay Community Law Center Immigration practice. She has represented clients in a variety of immigration law and immigrant rights cases, including federal litigation to ensure immigrant access to public benefits and programs. She currently leads immigrant worker rights litigation on MIRC's farmworker team. Prior to law school she worked with immigrants as a caseworker for Head Start and the USDA’s Agrability program. She is fluent in Spanish.
Rebeca Ontiveros Chavez
Staff Attorney
Rebeca Ontiveros Chavez
Staff Attorney
Rebeca is an attorney at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center’s (MIRC) Washtenaw County office. She represents unaccompanied immigrant children and individuals in the metro Detroit area on various immigration matters. In 2019, she was appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to the Foreign Language Board of Review as the Limited English Proficiency Populations Advocate. Rebeca has played an integral role in creating the Immigrant Justice Lab, an interdisciplinary team-based approach that brings students together from different disciplines at the University of Michigan to assist in asylum cases. She also advocates for racial equity as a member of the Michigan Advocacy Program’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She is committed to ensuring that all youth have access to higher education regardless of immigration status.
As a law student, she was the executive articles editor of the Michigan Journal of Race & Law and co-president of the Latino Law Students Association. She was also a student-attorney for the Child Welfare Appellate Clinic and the Civil-Criminal Litigation Clinic. Before law school, Rebeca worked for U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and was the communications director for the Congressional Hispanic Staff Association in Washington, D.C. She earned a BA in political science from the Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2009 and a JD from the University of Michigan Law School in 2016.
Catherine Villanueva
Staff Attorney
Catherine Villanueva
Staff Attorney
Catherine focuses on immigration relief available to victims of domestic violence and crime. She graduated with a full scholarship from the University of Toledo College of Law and completed her undergraduate degree at Western Michigan University. She has 5 years experience as a paralegal and speaks English, Spanish and Korean. Before her legal career, she operated her own business in Chicago, Illinois and also worked for Samsung Electronics in Seoul, South Korea. She currently works in the Kalamazoo office and is available to assist with cases involving victims of crime and domestic violence. In her free time, she enjoys trail running and has completed several ultramarathons.
Tania Morris Diaz
Staff Attorney
Tania Morris Diaz
Staff Attorney
Tania is the Detroit Staff Attorney with Michigan Immigrant Rights Center’s Ann Arbor office. Tania received her B.A. in International Studies with a concentration in Latin American Studies at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. She pursued a master’s in Political and Social Sciences at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico in Mexico City and received her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. She worked as a student attorney for the Human Trafficking Clinic, was a Geneva Extern Fellow at International Services for Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland and interned at the immigration law office of Michael Carlin in Ann Arbor. She worked as an immigration attorney at Antone, Casagrande and Adwers, P.C. She is fluent in Spanish
Mercedes Rodriguez
Staff Attorney
Mercedes Rodriguez
Staff Attorney
Mercedes’s focus is primarily on legal representation for unaccompanied immigrant children who are in removal proceedings. She received her Juris Doctor from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law and an undergraduate degree in journalism from Indiana University, Bloomington. Mercedes has previously represented children and families in removal proceedings while a staff attorney at La Raza Community Resource Center in San Francisco, CA and at Catholic Charities San Francisco. Prior to becoming an attorney, Mercedes was a journalist. She is fluent in Spanish.
Katrina Quillen
Staff Attorney
Katrina Quillen
Staff Attorney
Katrina is a staff attorney in the Unaccompanied Minors program. She represents children in removal proceedings and in their SIJS, asylum, or other cases. Originally from southern Indiana, Katrina is a graduate of the Homeland Security and Public Safety program at Vincennes University. She received her JD from Valparaiso University School of Law in 2015, and has been practicing immigration law in the nonprofit sector ever since. While in law school, Katrina was a student attorney in the Immigration Law Clinic, representing asylum seekers and unaccompanied children. Before joining MIRC, Katrina was a staff attorney in the Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo offices of Justice for Our Neighbors West Michigan. Katrina is based in our Grand Rapids office, and enjoys baking and exploring Michigan’s natural beauty.
Belinda Orozco
Staff Attorney
Belinda Orozco
Staff Attorney
Belinda Orozco is a Staff Attorney with Michigan Immigrant Rights Center’s Grand Rapids office. Belinda is part of a team of attorneys that represent unaccompanied children. Belinda received her B.A. from the University of Texas-Pan Am and received her J.D. from Western Michigan Cooley Law School. During law school, Belinda interned at the Access to Justice Clinic and volunteered at Justice for Our Neighbors (JFON). Shortly after graduating from law school, Belinda worked at Immigration Legal Services (ILS) of the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids. Prior to law school, Belinda was a Spanish bilingual teacher in South Texas.
Melanie Jones
Staff Attorney
Melanie Jones
Staff Attorney
Melanie provides legal representation for clients in Metro Detroit and Washtenaw County. Melanie received her J.D. from the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) and spent a summer in London, England studying international law with the Georgetown University Law Center. At UDC, Melanie worked as a student attorney in the UDC Immigration and Human Rights Legal Clinic and represented detained women and children in Dilley, Texas with the AILA-CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Project. Before joining MIRC, Melanie worked as a judicial law clerk at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and the 4th Judicial Circuit Court in Jackson, Michigan.
Jenny Rosario
Staff Attorney
Jenny Rosario
Staff Attorney
Jenny is an attorney with the Unaccompanied Minors program representing children seeking asylum, SIJS, and T- visas. Jenny comes to MIRC with over 10 years experience having practiced in private, non-profit and government organizations. While Jenny’s experience includes varied areas of immigration law, her primary focus area has been representing and advocating for immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Jenny is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Law and Xavier University.
Jennifer Gallardo
Staff Attorney
Jennifer Gallardo
Staff Attorney
Jennifer Gallardo joined the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center in April 2019. Previously, she was a workers' rights attorney at Farmworker Legal Services. During law school, she served as a student attorney with the Washtenaw County Office of Public Defender, WMU-Cooley Innocence Project, and St Vincent Catholic Charities Immigration Law Clinic. Jennifer is a fluent Spanish speaker and graduated from Western Michigan University with a BA in Spanish and minor in Social Work and received her JD from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. She is based in MIRC's Grand Rapids office and works with unaccompanied children who are in removal proceedings.
Marie Nelson
Staff Attorney
Marie Nelson
Staff Attorney
Marie Nelson specializes in representing immigrant survivors of intimate partner violence. Prior to joining MIRC, she was the senior attorney at Freedom House Detroit where she represented US asylum seekers. Marie also spent three years in private practice as an immigration lawyer with Antone, Casagrande & Adwers, P.C. Marie is a graduate of Harvard Law School and New York University. While in law school, she was a student attorney with the Harvard Immigration Project and the Predatory Lending Prevention Clinic, and a legal intern with the US Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division and the New York Attorney General's Consumer Fraud's Bureau.
Sokainah Mahmutovic
Law School Graduate
Sokainah Mahmutovic
Law School Graduate
Sokainah Mahmutovic is a member of the Crime Victims Legal Assistance Project team in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her focus is on immigration relief available to victims of domestic violence and crime. Sokainah graduated from Grand Valley State University with a degree in International Relations, concentrating on Middle Eastern Studies, and a minor in Political Science. She is a graduate from Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School where she received her Juris Doctor degree. While attending law school, Sokainah interned for MIRC’s Grand Rapids office which allowed her to advance her knowledge and expand her interest in immigration law. She is a passionate world traveler and has a strong devotion to human rights and social justice. Sokainah is fluent in Arabic.
José-Ernesto López
Immigrant Workers' Right Paralegal
José-Ernesto López
Immigrant Workers' Right Paralegal
As a California native, José-Ernesto López, studied and graduated from Kalamazoo College in 2017 with a B.A. in political science. Currently, José-Ernesto supports MIRC’s immigrant worker litigation team as bi-lingual paralegal assisting attorneys with case management and development. Prior to his time at MIRC, José-Ernesto served as a Farmworker Outreach Advocate with Farmworker Legal Services of Michigan providing direct services to farmworkers in the southwest Michigan region. His research interests focus on targeted outreach, political participation, and grass-roots mobilization. Recognizing the impact of institutional and systematic barriers within (im)/migrants communities, he continues to advocate for equality and justice in underserved populations throughout the state of Michigan.
Mollison Espinosa-Thompson
Intake Coordinator
Mollison Espinosa-Thompson
Intake Coordinator
Molli is one of the Intake Coordinators for the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. She has 20 years of experience as a bi-lingual advocate in Washtenaw County; working in the fields of domestic violence, sexual assault intervention/prevention and public health. Molli graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a B.A. in Social Science and Fine Art. She speaks fluent Spanish, loves to dance, take walks in nature, spend time with her family & friends, volunteer, and fight for social justice in our society.
Eva Alvarez
Public Policy Coordinator + DOJ Accredited Representative (full)
Eva Alvarez
Public Policy Coordinator + DOJ Accredited Representative (full)
Eva Alvarez is the Public Policy Coordinator for the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center and formerly a Department of Justice Accredited Representative representing clients before the Department of Homeland Security and Executive Office for Immigration Review. She focuses on advancing key policy issues both locally and statewide.
She is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Western Michigan University (WMU). She serves on the Kalamazoo County ID Advisory Board and the Graduate Student Association at WMU as the Director of Advocacy and Legislative Affairs.
She has an interest in social and economic justice, especially in the area of worker and immigrant rights. Eva is fluent in Spanish.
Camila Trefftz
UC Program Coordinator + DOJ-Accredited Representative (full)
Camila Trefftz
UC Program Coordinator + DOJ-Accredited Representative (full)
Camila Trefftz is the Unaccompanied Children Program Coordinator in our Kalamazoo office, working specifically with unaccompanied children who are in removal proceedings. Camila recently graduated from Kalamazoo College with a degree in psychology and a minor in political science. Throughout her undergraduate degree, she worked as a research assistant on projects studying psychology and music, the adverse effects of foreclosure on mental health, political genocide in Colombia, and transitional justice. She is passionate about the intersection between public policy and human development, particularly focusing on how the effects of adverse childhood experiences can be mitigated. When Camila was six years old, her family emigrated from Colombia. Camila speaks Spanish and German.
Hannah Lehker
Administrative and Legal Assistant
Hannah Lehker
Administrative and Legal Assistant
Hannah Lehker started at MIRC as an Intern working with Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural workers, before moving into her current position as an Administrative and Legal Assistant working with unaccompanied children. Hannah graduated from Kalamazoo College in 2017, with a degree in Spanish and Anthropology/Sociology. She spent six months studying in Valparaíso, Chile, and is fluent in Spanish. Her role as an intern gave her the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects with many people of different ages, backgrounds, and experiences. Now in a new position, Hannah has enjoyed the chance to dive deeper into case work with her clients. Hannah is interested in either a career in law, research, or potentially both- only time will tell!
Issamar Camacho-Almaraz
Legal Assistant
Issamar Camacho-Almaraz
Legal Assistant
Issamar Camacho-Almaraz is a legal assistant for the Unaccompanied Children Program in our Washtenaw office. She recently graduated from Wayne State University with a degree in Anthropology and a minor in Spanish. Throughout her undergraduate career, Issamar worked as a research assistant at the School of Social Work, and as a student researcher with the Department of Anthropology. Issamar grew up in Los Angeles, CA where she became involved in grassroots civil rights, and immigrant rights organizing leading to 10 years of community organizing experience. She is committed to advocating for immigrant rights and civil rights and continually challenges herself to develop more effective methods of advancing social equity and fairness. Issamar is fluent in Spanish.
Rebekah Ostosh
Legal Assistant
Rebekah Ostosh
Legal Assistant
Rebekah is a legal assistant for our Unaccompanied Children's program in our Grand Rapids office making her way into the immigration legal space after spending 5 years working in tech in Mexico and the US. Rebekah is no stranger to Michigan having graduated from Kalamazoo College in 2012 with a dual degree in Business and Spanish. She hopes to start law school in the near future. Rebekah is fluent in Spanish.
Laura Vargas Quintero
Legal Assistant
Laura Vargas Quintero
Legal Assistant
Laura Vargas Quintero started at MIRC as a volunteer, before moving into her new position as a Legal Assistant working with Unaccompanied Children at the MIRC Kalamazoo office. Laura is originally from Mexico where she studied at Universidad de Monterrey. She has a Degree in International Marketing and is fluent in Spanish, English and Portuguese. She is passionate about the well-being of children.
Jose Rosas
Legal Assistant
Jose Rosas
Legal Assistant
Jose is often the primary point of contact for clients seeking legal help at the Kalamazoo office. As a bilingual legal assistant, he conducts intakes and assists attorneys in facilitating resources to clients. Originally from Mexico and the son of migrant farmworkers, he is grateful for the opportunity to serve migrant farmworkers and immigrant families. Prior to going to college, he used to work in the fields with his family. Thus he is passionate about farmworkers’ employment rights and immigration rights. Jose received his BA from Michigan State University in Human Resources and Society. He interned for the League of United Latin American Citizens in Washington, D.C.
Hector Rubio-Garcia
Legal Assistant
Hector Rubio-Garcia
Legal Assistant
Hector Rubio-Garcia is a bilingual Legal Assistant serving as a receptionist and first point-of-contact intake for our prospective clients in our Kalamazoo office. He is currently pursuing a bachelors of social work at Western Michigan University.Hector comes from Chicago and has a background in social justice around police brutality, gentrification, and the Black Lives Matter movement. He is also a volunteer organizer for immigrant rights’ movement Movimiento Cosecha – a national immigrant-led movement fighting for permanent protection, dignity, and respect for all undocumented immigrants in the U.S.
Christine Sauvé
Welcoming Michigan Director
Christine Sauvé
Welcoming Michigan Director
Christine Sauvé coordinates activities in southeast Michigan for the Welcoming Michigan project, MIRC’s statewide grassroots immigrant integration initiative. She works to connect U.S. and foreign-born residents in metro Detroit. Christine received her BA from the University of Michigan Residential College and MSW from the University of Michigan School of Social Work. She is interested in community organization and social systems, with a focus on multicultural community organizing. Christine served as a Peace Corps Volunteer for three years in Mauritania and Senegal in West Africa. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers
Denni Middleton
SE Michigan Communities Coordinator for Welcoming Michigan
Denni Middleton
SE Michigan Communities Coordinator for Welcoming Michigan
Denni Middleton is the Communities Coordinator for Welcoming Michigan in Southeast Michigan. She works with community based organizations, local governments, individuals and institutions interested in making their community more welcoming. Denni is originally from Australia where she received her undergraduate degree in Psychology and her Masters in Social Work. Her MSW program gave her the opportunity to participate in an exchange program at the University of Michigan, where she developed a passion for community development and working with diverse communities (as well as a love for Michigan!). She has experience, both locally and internationally, working in nonprofit organizations with a youth focus.
Meagan Roche
Communications and Partnerships Coordinator
Meagan Roche
Communications and Partnerships Coordinator
Meagan is the Communications and Partnerships Coordinator at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, and she is based in MIRC's Kalamazoo office. She previously worked as the West Michigan Communities Coordinator with Welcoming Michigan, a program at MIRC that focuses on building communities where immigrants experience equity and belonging both through institutional change and contact building. Meagan focuses on issues of language justice and language access at MIRC, in her organizing, and in broader community engagement. She speaks Arabic and French.
