Celebrating Ten Immigrant Justice Corps Fellows in Record-Breaking 2024 Class
CUNY School of Law is proud to announce ten recent graduates have been selected for the prestigious Immigrant Justice Corps (IJC) fellowship program. The group joins a record-breaking cohort of 130 ICJ Fellows and sets the Law School apart as the top producer of this year’s IJC Fellows. The selection of Alma Aquino, Aruna Hekinian, Karem Herrera, Israel Lopez, Ivan Matute, Nina McKenna, Ashley Andrea Pinilla, Elsa Raker, Erik Tacam, and Cindy Zhunio is a testament to CUNY Law’s rigorous training, commitment to public interest law, and nationally recognized Immigrant & Non-Citizen Rights Clinic.
This year’s record-breaking class underscores the law school’s dedication to producing outstanding lawyers committed to serving the public interest.
Therese McNulty, Associate Director of Career Planning, said, “We have long known immigrants who are represented by counsel in Immigration Court have far better outcomes than those without. Obtaining affordable, reliable, and trustworthy counsel is beyond reach for many immigrants. Judge Katzmann believed immigrants deserve quality legal representation. Our alumni, professors, law clinic, career services office, and former IJC Fellows have worked together for the past decade to prepare students for success and placement in the IJC Fellowship.”
Professor Talia Peleg, co-director of INRC, said, “The selection of these ten outstanding CUNY Law graduates could not have come at a more urgent time. Immigrants’ lives are being played with for political gain. With the closure of borders, the expansion of immigrant jails and surveillance, and increased deportations in the shadows without due process, immigrants are being systematically abused. The need for zealous, talented, relentless advocates to stand with and alongside vulnerable immigrant communities is dire. Our INRC alum will undoubtedly bring a sharp theoretical critique, incisive analytical skills, deep personal experience and fierce lawyering skills to the courtroom. I look forward to following their careers and to collaborating to rebuild an immigration system rooted in fairness and inclusion.”
IJC, conceived by the late Judge Robert A. Katzmann and incubated by the Robin Hood Foundation, recruits talented lawyers passionate about immigration and places them with legal services organizations across the country to provide vital assistance to immigrants in need. With millions facing deportation proceedings without legal representation, the work of these dedicated Fellows has never been more critical.
“With this record-breaking class, we’re not just mitigating a crisis, we’re building a movement of the next generation of immigration lawyers and advocates,” said Jojo Annobil, IJC’s Chief Executive Officer. “This class will expand IJC’s reach nationwide, level the playing field, and bring relief to immigrant communities. Together, our Fellows are transforming immigrant lives and advocating for a just immigration system.”
To date, over 400 IJC Fellows have assisted more than 100,000 immigrants and families with a 90% success rate on completed cases. CUNY Law congratulates our nine Justice Fellows as they embark on this vital and impactful work to defend immigrants’ rights, hold immigration agencies accountable, and practice law in the service of human needs.
CUNY Law’s ICJ Fellows
Alma Aquino
Safe Passage Project
Alma’s dedication to immigrant rights is rooted in her life and work experiences. Her professional experience in immigration spans several years before law school, during which she worked with the American Immigration Lawyers Association NY Chapter Children’s Docket, worked with immigration lawyers, and volunteered with the CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Project. During law school, Alma interned as an Immigrant Workers’ Rights Intern at Catholic Migration Services, a Legal Projects Intern at Immigrant-ARC, and a student attorney at her school’s Immigrant & Noncitizen Rights Clinic. Alma is excited to be representing unaccompanied minors as an IJC Fellow at the Safe Passage Project.
Aruna Hekinian
Catholic Community Services of Salt Lake City
Aruna is an immigrant from Guyana who witnessed firsthand the complexities of navigating unfamiliar legal systems. This ignited her interest in immigration law and reinforced her commitment to protecting the rights and well-being of immigrant families, particularly children. Aruna’s decision to change careers later in life and attend CUNY Law was driven by a desire to engage in purposeful work in a high-need legal field and make systemic change. Through the exceptional opportunities of CUNY Law’s clinics, including the Disability and Aging Justice Clinic, she deepened her understanding of intersectionality and client-centered lawyering while honing advocacy skills under the guidance of experienced mentors. Aruna’s fluency in English, French, and Spanish enables effective communication with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds while CUNY Law has equipped her with the practical knowledge and expertise needed to navigate complex legal issues and provide invaluable insight into the broader social and policy implications of the legal system, preparing her to help the most vulnerable in the community.
Karem Herrera
Lutheran Social Services
Karem’s determination to work to advance the rights of immigrant communities comes from her and her family’s identities as immigrants. During law school, Karem was a student attorney with CUNY Law’s Immigrant and Non-Citizen Rights Clinic where she represented and advocated for asylum seekers detained by ICE at the Southern border. In prior semesters, Karem interned with the Cornell First Amendment Clinic, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the International Refugee Assistance Project, and the National Domestic Workers Alliance. Karem is excited to join Lutheran Social Services of New York where she will represent minors in their immigration cases.
Israel Lopez
Building One Community
Growing up in a Mexican immigrant family living in the South Bronx inspired Israel’s decision to pursue a career in public interest immigration law. During law school, Israel interned with the Immigration Project at Volunteers of Legal Service, where he found himself under the mentorship of an Immigrant Justice Corps Fellow and working with young people seeking various forms of relief. Israel was also part of CUNY Law’s Immigrant & Non-Citizens Rights Clinic. Israel is looking forward to joining Building One Community’s removal defense team as an IJC Fellow, where he will be representing unaccompanied minors.
Ivan Matute
Make the Road New York
Ivan has had many internship opportunities throughout law school and in relation to immigration work. He has worked with the Tahirih Justice Center as a remote intern during his first year of law school. He later interned at Brooklyn Defender Services with the Immigration Community Action Project before deciding to apply to Immigrant Justice Corps. Ivan joined IJC because of its extensive alumni network and its opportunities with many host organizations. Ivan will be working at Make the Road New York with the Unaccompanied Children program.
Nina McKenna
Make the Road New York
Nina decided to pursue a career in nonprofit immigration law after spending three years as a paralegal at Kids in Need of Defense. She has since had the opportunity to work with the International Refugee Assistance Project, Make the Road, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, and the ACLU of New Mexico. Nina spent the last year representing detainees at Torrance County Detention Center before the Asylum Office and EOIR. She is thrilled to be working with unaccompanied minors again, and to be a part of MRNY’s larger effort to empower immigrant communities.
Ashley Andrea Pinilla
Bronx Defenders
Ashley’s passion for immigration work stems from her experiences growing up in a Colombian immigrant family in Queens, New York. Prior to law school, Ashley worked as an immigration legal advocate at the Urban Justice Center’s Domestic Violence Project. During law school, she interned with Make the Road NY and Brooklyn Defender Services. She was a clinical student at CUNY Law’s Immigrant and Non-Citizen Rights Clinic. Ashley is excited to join The Bronx Defenders’ Immigration practice as an IJC Fellow, where she will work at the intersection of immigration, criminal, civil, and family law.
Elsa Raker
Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project
Elsa Raker (J.D. – CUNY Law; B.A. Human Rights – Bard College) interned with the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Federal Practice of the Immigration Law Unit at The Legal Aid Society in law school. As a student attorney at the CLEAR Project, she represented clients targeted by the government under the guise of national security and counterterrorism. She also worked with the Asylum Program and Research & Investigations Unit at Physicians for Human Rights and interned with BADIL in occupied Palestine. She will represent unaccompanied minors with the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project in Arizona.
Erik Tacam
Safe Passage Project
Erik Tacam is a dedicated advocate for immigrant rights. He brings a wealth of legal expertise and a passion for social justice. Erik has gained valuable experience through various immersive experiences. With his fluency in Spanish and comprehensive understanding of trauma-informed care, he is ideally poised to assist immigrant youth at the Safe Passage Project with their legal needs, particularly in applying for asylum and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. Erik’s extensive background in advocacy, community outreach, and cultural competence equips him to make a meaningful impact on the lives of vulnerable populations.
Cindy Zhunio
UnLocal
Cindy’s dedication to immigrant rights is deeply rooted in her personal experiences. While she does not see the law as a tool to dismantle the oppressive and demeaning immigration system, after witnessing the profound impact of quality legal education and representation on immigrant communities as a 2019 Community Fellow, Cindy pursued a career in immigration law. During her time at CUNY Law, Cindy was a Pro Bono Scholar and summer legal intern at Brooklyn Defender Services, gaining valuable experience in deportation defense and advocacy. She was also a legal intern and volunteer at Make the Road NY where she provided crucial support to immigrant communities facing various legal challenges. Now, as a Justice Fellow she will continue advocating for immigrant communities, focusing on post-order of removal assistance for unaccompanied minors at UnLocal.