Staff

Molly Huffaker is a Supervising Attorney with MIRC’s Unaccompanied Children’s Team in Grand Rapids. Molly received her B.A. from Bates College, where she focused her studies on maternal health care and gender-based violence. In May 2021, Molly received her J.D. from Cornell Law School. During law school, Molly worked as a student attorney in Cornell’s Juvenile Justice Clinic, Women’s Decarceration Practicum, and Asylum and Convention Against Torture Appellate Clinic. She also served as an Executive Editor for the Cornell Law Review, worked as an advisor for victims of sexual violence and prohibited discrimination at Cornell, and interned with the East Bay Community Law Center in Berkeley, California.

Polina Hristova is a Supervising Attorney with Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, where she is a part of MIRC’s unaccompanied children’s team. Polina received her B.A. from University of Michigan, where she was a part of the Undocumented Migration Project, a long-term anthropological study aimed at humanizing the migrant experience and raising awareness about the harsh reality of migrating north from Central America and Mexico. In May 2020, Polina received her J.D. from Michigan State University College of Law. During law school, Polina served as a student clinician for the Michigan State University Immigration Law Clinic, where she represented clients in a variety of immigration matters. Polina is originally from Sofia, Bulgaria and moved to Michigan with her family in 1998.

Rebecca joined the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center as a Supervising Attorney in 2024.  She has been working in non-profit immigration legal services since beginning with Farmworker Legal Services after law school.  Working at Catholic Charities of Louisville, Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan, and as a pro-bono attorney for MIRC’s VAWA program, Rebecca has a broad range of skills focused on legal service administration and direct representation for clients in the family-based and humanitarian immigration processes.  As a Michigander, Rebecca graduated from the University of Michigan Law School and Western Michigan University. She is fluent in Spanish.

Sadia Ghazi is a staff attorney at Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, specifically working on the Unaccompanied Children’s Program. Sadia has experience working with children of all ages. Her experiences include teaching a semester at Hamtramck High School and East English Village High School, working with children with autism as a behavioral technician, and volunteering at a youth summer camp in Southwest Detroit. Sadia received her bachelor’s degree and her J.D. from Wayne State University. During law school, Sadia was a student attorney at the Asylum and Immigration Law Clinic, and Crime Victims Legal Assistance Project. After graduating law school, Sadia worked as a judicial advisory assistant in 7th Circuit Court of Genesee County.

Sara Afshar joined MIRC's Afghan Arrivals team as a Staff Attorney in 2022. Previously, she practiced family and humanitarian-based immigration law in Massachusetts with a focus on representing unaccompanied minors in removal proceedings. In addition to her J.D., Sara has an M.F.A. in Poetry from the University of Michigan 's Helen Zell Writing Program. Sara writes about mental health topics particular to displaced populations, informed by her own family's experience of the refugee process.  She owns and operates an urban flower farm in Ypsilanti alongside her cattle-dog/chihuahua mix, Daisy.

Sergio Paoli Romero-Robles is a Staff Attorney with the Michigan Immigration Rights Center. Sergio received his Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology from Texas A&M University and his Juris Doctorate from Barry University, Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law. Sergio also has a Master’s of Arts in Health Psychology and is a Psychology/Social Psychology Professor at NUC University. Sergio is interested in Immigration Law because he hopes to make a difference in the lives of immigrants and help influence change in policy making. Sergio is originally from Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico and is a huge New Orleans Saints fan!

Shawn Gillum joined the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center in May 2024 as a Staff Attorney on the released Unaccompanied Children's Team. Before joining MIRC, Shawn served as a Staff Attorney with Immigration Law & Justice Michigan. Originally from Denver, Colo., Shawn began his legal career in 2004 as a Deputy District Attorney. He later joined a Denver-based law firm, where he successfully represented clients facing complex criminal and civil matters in jury trials, appeals, and administrative hearings. In 2013, he was named a Colorado Super Lawyers Rising Star for excellence in the practice of law.

Shawn joined a Grand Rapids-based law firm after moving to Michigan, where he litigated federal illegal takings claims. He currently serves as a volunteer Peer Monitor for the State of Michigan Lawyers and Judges Assistance Program. Some of Shawn's cases have been featured in Outside Magazine, The Denver Post, the Denver Business Journal, WOOD TV8, and Investigation Discovery television network.   

Shawn graduated cum laude and received his bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University. He earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Shawn’s law school honors include Editor of the Transportation Journal; Teaching Assistant for the Academic Achievement Program; Regional Moot Court Champion; National Moot Court Champion; American Jurisprudence Award for Advanced Legal Analysis; and Most Outstanding Graduate finalist.

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.

Susan E. Reed co-founded MIRC at the Michigan Advocacy Program to expand access to immigration legal services and advance pro-immigrant policy in Michigan. Susan has led and partnered on advocacy and impact litigation that has: developed public funding for immigration legal services at the federal, state, county, and city level; preserved and expanded Medicaid access for approximately 85,000 noncitizens; recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost and stolen wages for immigrant workers; advanced civil rights for detained immigrants and people of color targeted by immigration enforcement; and secured legal immigration status and citizenship for thousands of individual clients. Susan was appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to the inaugural Foreign Language Board of Review following her successful advocacy for the court rule that created the board and expanded language access in Michigan's courts. She represents immigrant and immigrant rights interests as a long-time member of the Michigan State Planning Body for Legal Services and as part of several State Bar of Michigan initiatives. She is a proud member of the first class of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Leadership Network. Susan is a graduate of Marquette University and the University of Minnesota Law School.

Tania is the Supervising Attorney for the Unaccompanied Children's team. She has a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies with a concentration in Latin American studies from the University of South Alabama. She also pursued her Master's degree in Political and Social Sciences at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM).

In 2017, she earned her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. As a student, she worked with the Human Trafficking Clinic, Unemployment Insurance Clinic and Community and Economic Development Clinic. She was a Geneva Extern Scholar at the International Services for Human Rights. Upon graduation she worked in the area of business immigration at ACA and later joined MIRC in 2018 as part of the Detroit Front Door Project focusing on removal defense and later the Immigration Court Helpdesk. She most recently worked at LGL focusing on family immigration and consular processing before returning to MIRC.

She grew up with a fascination for justice and the rule of law due to her father’s work as a social scientist. Her mother’s status as an immigrant motivated her to work in the field of immigration. She is bilingual and a dual citizen of Mexico and the U.S. She loves anime (Shingeki no Kyojin), video games (Borderlands), tacos (al pastor), and her dog (Marla).

Thailyn is a paralegal for unaccompanied refugee minors at our Lansing office. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Criminal Justice with double minors in Security Management and Law, Justice, and Public Policy. Thailyn has a passion for social justice and advocating for marginalized communities. She loves to travel, exercise, and try new things in her free time!