In this webinar geared toward community members, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and Immigrants Rising will provide an update on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), including a breakdown and changes to the policy through the new rule that is effective October 31, 2022. We will also discuss what current litigation means for the policy’s future with a focus on how persons can prepare and how they can earn a living without DACA.
Presenters
Krsna Avila, Staff Attorney - ILRC
Krsna is based in San Francisco, California, and focuses on immigration enforcement issues, including state and local law enforcement’s cooperation with federal immigration agencies in unlawfully deporting immigrants, and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals advocacy.
Krsna joins the ILRC with a wealth of personal and professional immigration experience. Having immigrated to the United States with his parents when he was only four months old, Krsna grew up as an undocumented immigrant. Prior to law school, Krsna worked closely with the ILRC to establish a legal services program at Educators for Fair Consideration. As their Legal Services Manager, Krsna provided legal support to undocumented youth throughout the country.
Directly feeling the effects of our unjust immigration system, Krsna quickly became interested in attending law school in order to understand the legal system from a different lens.
While in law school, Krsna worked at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Washington D.C. and the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California where he supported litigation regarding free speech and racial discrimination issues. He also participated in the Asylum and Convention Against Torture Appellate Clinic, where he helped represent a client before the Board of Immigration Appeals. Krsna also volunteered with the European Council on Refugees and was an editorial member for the Cornell Legal Information Institute U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin.
Krsna earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Davis, and his law degree from Cornell Law School where he received the 2017 Freeman Award for Civil-Human Rights for his commitment to civil rights and public service.
Denia Pérez, Esq., Legal Services Manager - Immigrants Rising
Denia (she/her) first came to the US with her parents from Mexico when she was 11 months old. Denia served as the Legal Services Coordinator at Immigrants Rising two years before moving to Connecticut to pursue her law degree. After receiving her JD, she became the first DACA beneficiary ever to become a licensed attorney in Connecticut. Denia completed a two-year IJC fellowship at Make the Road New York where she worked with their immigration team on providing legal services, supporting organizing campaigns, and doing state and federal advocacy. In 2020, Denia worked as a Policy Advisor for the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) and is now back with Immigrants Rising as the Legal Services Manager.
Iliana G. Perez, Ph.D., Director of Research & Entrepreneurship - Immigrants Rising
Iliana (she/her) was born in Hidalgo, Mexico, and immigrated alongside her mother, father, and younger brother to the U.S. at the age of eight. Iliana grew up in the California Central Valley and navigated the educational system as an undocumented student for 18 years until she became a DACA recipient in 2013. Iliana holds a B.A. in Mathematics from Fresno State, an M.A. in Economics from Claremont Graduate University, and recently completed a Ph.D. in Education Policy, Evaluation and Reform, also from Claremont Graduate University. Her research focuses on immigrant entrepreneurs, the occupational and educational attainment of immigrant students, the effects of deportation on the lives of young adults, and economics of immigration. Iliana has shared her story and presented her work to various audiences across the country via keynotes and research presentations at professional conferences, organizations, and college campuses. Iliana looks forward to helping all immigrants, regardless of legal status, reach their highest potential through entrepreneurship opportunities.