Staff

Gladys is a legal assistant for the Unaccompanied Minors Team in Ypsilanti. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan with an Honors degree in History. She specializes in early 20th-Century American history with a focus on the Constitution, the impact of nationalism, and social justice. She also enjoys art and music. Gladys was born in South Haven, MI to immigrant parents and has since developed a strong sense of justice and protectiveness toward the immigrant community. Her goal is to become an attorney and continue to assist the community through public policy, litigation, and overall human compassion. Gladys is fluent in Spanish.

Grace Erway is a Paralegal on the Afghan Arrivals Team in Kalamazoo. Originally from Kalamazoo, she recently graduated with her Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology/Sociology from Kalamazoo College and is a proud beneficiary of the Kalamazoo Promise scholarship. In her time at Kalamazoo College she was able to study abroad in Costa Rica and write a research based undergrad thesis, on the history of white supremacy and its presence in migrant related law. In her free time she enjoys traveling, spending time with her family, singing and bartending.

Inés joined MIRC in 2021 as a Program Coordinator within the Unaccompanied Children Team in Ypsilanti. Inés grew up in Spain, then studied and worked in France and England, and eventually moved to the United States. She holds a degree in Political Science and Public Administration from the Complutense University of Madrid and a specialization in International Relations from Sciences Po’s Paris School of International Affairs. Inés has been involved in human rights work since 2013. In her previous job, Inés supported grassroots organizations working on forced displacement and migration issues in Cambridge, MA. Since her arrival in Michigan in 2018, Inés has been involved in immigrants’ rights advocacy through local organizations, and in 2020, she graduated with a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy. Inés serves on the advisory board of the Michigan Poverty Law Program (MPLP) as the immigrant rights representative. Inés is committed to bringing positive change through policy advocacy and research at the intersection of human rights, migration, and development. Inés is fluent in Spanish and French.

Jack is a Supervising Program Coordinator for our Unaccompanied Children's Program based in our Grand Rapids Office. He started with MIRC as an intern in January 2019 while in his undergraduate program at Western Michigan University, where he received his bachelor's degree in Spanish, with minors in Criminal Justice and Communications. Since then he has worked and volunteered in various capacities before settling into his current role in April 2020. Jack is fluent in Spanish.

Jennifer Vanegas 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.

Joan Smith is the Legal Assistant to the Immigration Court Helpdesk program. She is based out of the Ypsilanti office, but primarily works at Immigration Court. Prior to MIRC, Joan taught ELL and GED classes to adults in Southwest Detroit. She also spent a year living and working at a migrant shelter in Guatemala, near the Mexican border. She loves language and language learning, and is near fluent in Spanish. She graduated from Loyola University of Chicago with Bachelor's degrees in Anthropology and French, and has a Master’s degree in Communication from Oakland University. She is committed to dismantling our violent immigration system.

Katherine White joined Michigan Immigrant Rights Center in May of 2021. Previously, Katherine founded Immigrant Connection at City Life Church, a low-cost immigration law office, serving as the Executive Director and a Department of Justice Representative. She received her Juris Doctor from Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School and holds a B.A. in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Human Rights from Grand Valley State University. She is based in MIRC's Grand Rapids office and is fluent in Spanish.

Lauren joined MIRC in January of 2022, and is a Legal Assistant for the Unaccompanied Children’s Team in Kalamazoo, MI. She recently graduated from Western Michigan University with a double major in Spanish and Political Science. She first worked at MIRC as an intern in 2018, before studying abroad for the following year in Cuba and New Zealand. Lauren is passionate about immigrant rights, and working to support immigrants in her community. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, and skydiving. She is proficient in Spanish.

Lexi Andre joined MIRC’s Unaccompanied Children’s Program as a Staff Attorney in May 2021. She received her J.D. from University of Michigan Law School where she served as a student attorney with the Human Trafficking Clinic and the Criminal Appellate Practice Clinic. She also interned for the Law Reform and Development Commission of Namibia, International Service for Human Rights, and the Family Law Project. Lexi also attended University of Michigan for her undergraduate degree in Classical Languages and Literatures with a minor in Medieval and Early Modern Studies.

Lizzette joined the Michigan Immigrants Rights Center in January 2020 as a bilingual legal assistant working specifically with unaccompanied children in Long Term Foster Care, and is now a Supervising Program Coordinator on the same team. Lizzette is a California native, born and raised in Los Angeles, who’s parents immigrated from Mexico and El Salvador. She is dedicated to advocating for immigrant rights, and mental health. Lizzette worked many years providing interpretation services for the Latinx community in Michigan courts and it’s partnering agencies like the Children’s Assessment Center. She is state certified as a Judicial Interpreter for the Spanish language and recently became certified in Mental Health First Aid.

Maria Garcia is an Intake Coordinator with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center as part of the Washtenaw, Intake, Kalamazoo, Detroit Front Door (WIKD) team. She was born and raised in Southwest Detroit. Maria recently received her B.A. from the University of Michigan, where she studied Political Science and Latina/o Studies, as well as double minoring in Asian Studies and Gender, Race, & Nation. Maria has a passion for immigrant rights and social justice issues and her goal is to one day become an immigration attorney.