Laura Peña Email & Phone Number

Harlingen, Texas, Us

The South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR) empowers immigrants through high-quality legal education, representation, and connections to services. ProBAR serves immigrants in the Rio Grande Valley border region with a particular focus on the legal needs of adults and unaccompanied children in federal custody. In the role of Director, I am responsible for the leadership, strategic vision, and management of the entire organization.

Austin, Tx, Us

At TCRP, I led and managed the Beyond Borders team, consisting of four attorneys and two professional staff. Through inclusive mentorship, I inspired productivity to maximize the team's talents and skills. My activities also included the development and implementation of a strategic plan to enhance the protection of legal rights for migrants at the Texas-Mexico border and initiating state-wide solutions to systemic injustices due to increasing border militarization.Some key achievements in this role involved:● Launched a realigned Beyond Borders program through strategic planning including seven team members, 38 staff, and 10 board members, and completed phase one of program realignment to include listening sessions with 11 community advocacy organizations with a focus on humanitarian and regional border issues.● Drove the sunsetting of TCRP’s border wall campaign, resulting in the settlement of 11 out of 12 border-wall cases and realignment of advocacy efforts to a state-wide campaign against Operation Lone Star.● Retained all full-time program staff, including five attorneys and two professional staff, with increased levels of motivation, job satisfaction, and productivity. ● Led the strategic planning to position TCRP as a lead organization in a statewide coalition opposing Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, which has resulted in a Title VI Civil Rights Complaint against the State with the U.S. Department of Justice, significant media coverage, research-based narrative development, innovative rural border advocacy efforts and, in collaboration with our development team, raised $820,000 with two coalition partners.

Based at ProBAR in South Texas, I engaged in the recruitment, hiring, and management of volunteer attorneys from across the country to render pro bono immigration defense services on the Texas-Mexico border. I provided visionary and compassionate leadership to five staff dedicated to the delivery of legal services to migrants in Mexico and further advised the Legal Department comprised of 70 staff on matters pertaining to legal defense legal efforts. My activities also included the design and execution of effective legal strategies, addressing due process and civil rights violations, including impact litigation opposing the violations of the rights of unaccompanied migrant children, an amicus brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court, and innovative social media use for legal services delivery, including Facebook Live “Know Your Rights” sessions and a dedicated WhatsApp removal defense hotline. Other important activities included the direction of a human-dignity-centered approach to complex immigration cases in federal district courts on constitutional, administrative, and habeas claims, as well as national advocacy efforts regarding the border policies to the public, U.S. Congressional Representatives, and the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights. Some key achievements in this role involve:● Led the creation and oversight of a $1 million cross-border program with three attorneys and two professional staff rendering critical legal services in Matamoros, Mexico.● Recruited, trained, and deployed dozens of pro bono attorneys for impact litigation and direct immigration services.● Led federal litigation with a major law firm to challenge the continued application of Migrant Protection Protocol immigration proceedings to unaccompanied children arriving in the U.S. ● Rendered legal advice to the ABA President and pro bono law firm for submission of an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court in the matter of Wolf vs. Innovation Law Lab.

Austin, Tx, Us

At TCRP, I designed and implemented creative legal strategies with a small, dedicated team, resulting in family reunifications for 200+ parents who experienced unlawful separation from their children during the family separation crisis. I also engaged in representing the rights and interests of parents in legal proceedings, including federal district court and immigration court, fighting against violations of the constitution, including the right to family integrity, violations of the right to due process, and other law violations.Some key achievements in this role involve:• Lead staff attorney, in partnership with a dedicated team, in the development of reunification plans that rendered legal advocacy and humanitarian assistance to dozens of separated migrant families.• Authored the first national non-governmental report on migrant family separations - The Real National Emergency: Zero Tolerance & The Horrors of Family Separation; significance marked by introduction into the U.S. Congressional record.

New York, Ny, Us

Hired, mentored, and managed a team of three attorneys and 15 paralegals, providing business immigration services to a portfolio of IT companies with annual legal fees exceeding $1.5 million. Managed business accounts on an annual and quarterly basis and adjusted staffing and resources according to projections. Developed and implemented legal and communication strategies for complex corporate mergers & acquisitions. Performed case-law research, drafted legal briefings, and advocated on behalf of clients before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Department of Labor, Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals, and U.S. embassies. • Headed the successful transition of a multi-million-dollar technology company merger to ensure business and employment continuity for hundreds of foreign national employees.

Washington, Dc, Us

Civil servant providing over 500 court hours as the U.S. Government attorney in federal immigration proceedings. Evaluated hundreds of removal cases and implemented President Obama's Executive Actions on Immigration Reform, including the exercise of prosecutorial discretion to close cases of individuals who were deemed non-priority for removal. Litigated a range of issues in federal immigration court, including claims of asylum, cancellation of removal, the legality of removability, eligibility for bond, fraud, and national security threats.

Us

Composed legal opinions and advised the federal judge on issues with ongoing court cases, including class action lawsuits based on employment and commercial claims, antitrust violations, contract claims, civil rights violations, and other related civil matters. Performed thorough case research, assessed written and oral arguments, and drafted bench memoranda. ● Advised on judicial strategy and legal review of several high-profile civil cases as part of the docket inherited by the district judge during his first year of appointment.

Washington, Dc, Us

As President Barack Obama’s appointee advised Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on matters pertaining to the recruitment, vetting, and hiring of nearly 100 political appointees to the U.S. Department of State. Subsequently joined an Under Secretariat responsible for Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, Refugees, and Trafficking in Persons. Drafted and reviewed policy memoranda to Secretary Clinton on a wide range of foreign policy priorities.● Advised Secretary Clinton on the recruitment, vetting, and hiring of racially, culturally, and socioeconomically diverse experts to drive major foreign policy changes under the first term of the Obama Administration ● Represented U.S. foreign policy objectives to the public and policymakers including U.S. members of Congress and served as a spokesperson when traveling abroad to represent the U.S. diplomatic mission.● Advised on the establishment of a new Under Secretariat, with a total budget of $4 billion and up to 500 full-time and contract-based worldwide employees, resulting in an alignment of five bureaus and three offices.● Leveraged strategic communications and diplomatic negotiations to rehabilitate U.S. government credibility on the Congressionally mandated Trafficking in Persons Report and Human Rights Report, resulting in pressuring other nations to improve their commitment to freedom and human rights.● Initiated the development of new partnerships with non-governmental organizations as part of the new Under Secretariat for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights.

Developed and directed the national campaign strategy for Latinx voters in the 2008 presidential primary campaign, deploying a $4 million budget in target communities resulting in a historic Latinx voter turnout. Led a team of three staff members, seven consultants, numerous interns, and hundreds of volunteers in the coordination of national efforts, including polling strategies, online communications, media interviews, candidate and surrogate travel and events, earned media strategies, and field operations. Supported the development and preparation of fundraising events, reports, and donor briefings. ● Built and maintained relationships with national, state, and local advocacy organizations, elected officials, donors, and media contacts. ● Served as a liaison between a national advisory committee and Senator Clinton for the successful mobilization and connection with the Latinx community.

Los Angeles, Ca, Us

• As a summer law clerk, researched voter rights issues pertaining to federal litigation challenging Arizona Proposition 200, a voter identification law that required individuals to provide proof of citizenship for voter registration. The case went before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2014 and the Court struck down the state law as a violation of the National Voter Registration Act. • Assisted in client management, including discovery intake for Spanish-speaking clients.

Washington, Dc, Us

Managed outreach to increase voter participation from women in the 2004 presidential election, resulting in a voter turnout rate of 60% for women and for the first time, women outvoting men in every racial and ethnic group. Conducted media training for women candidates running for local elected offices.● Ran the first ever bilingual (English/Spanish) women’s outreach effort by the DNC during a presidential campaign. ● Conducted dozens of candidate media training with county-level women’s democratic groups across the nation, including Spanish language media training in target markets.

Doctor Of Law (J.D.), International Law And National Security Law

Doctor Of Law (J.D.)

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), Religion/Religious Studies