Kevin Piecuch
Executive Director and Principal Attorney
Kevin is an attorney, business leader, and ordained Presbyterian clergy. He began his professional career with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), where he served as a pastor, hospital chaplain, and with the General Assembly where he worked in mission interpretation and promotion.
While serving a local congregation, he began his journey to become a licensed attorney when he enrolled at the University of Michigan Law School, where he was the oldest member of the incoming class of 1999. His legal practice included stints at the National Labor Relations Board, AT&T, the Trowbridge Law Firm and with American Laser Centers (ALC), where he was the Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel. He got started in public interest law while working at ALC when he was invited to serve as a supervising attorney with U of M students who began the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP). This experience of working with immigrants led him to consider dedicating himself full time to this practice.
Before starting the Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center in 2014, Kevin spent more than two years meeting and volunteering with people from the greater Detroit service and client community to understand the need for greater access to affordable, quality legal services. After learning from others already working with refugees, he was invited by the Ford Fund to open SWIRC’s first free-legal clinic, which opened in June 2015 with Kevin, his wife, and his college-aged son as staff. From this humble start, SWIRC has grown into an organization with four staff, more than 30 regular volunteers, and three weekly clinics that see 50 – 75 clients every week. We are easily the largest provider of free and low-cost legal services to our target community in Southeast Michigan.
Kevin and his wife of 30+ years Clarisa live in Grosse Pointe Farms. They have four adult children.
Alex Vernon
Legal Director
Alex Vernon works as Legal Director of the Southwest Immigrant and Refugee Center. Previously, Alex Vernon has directed immigration clinics at Detroit Mercy School of Law, And the Ave Maria School of Law, working with law students assisting migrants fleeing for their lives, struggling for family unity, and striving to regularize their status. Given his geographic location, Alex has extensive experience of how the Safe Third Country agreement between Canada and the United States impacts the lives of refugees in both countries.
Alex is a founding member of the Canada/US Cross Border Network and is on the steering committee of the Canada US Border Rights Clinic, a new legal clinic serving the migrants navigating the Canada/US border. Alex is a Board Member of Southwest Florida’s Organización Internacional de Latinos en el Exterior, the Deported Asylum Seekers Assistance Project, And the Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center, now Ex Officio. Alex also participates in the State Bar of Michigan Immigration Chapter, Canadian Council of Refugees, the Canada Sanctuary Network, the International Sanctuary Declaration Network, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association, where he was recognized as a Michigan chapter pro bono champion in 2025.
Karena Gutierrez
Staff Attorney
Karena L. Gutierrez, Esq. is a Staff Attorney at the Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center, where she focuses on immigration removal defense and has a special dedication to representing unaccompanied minors in removal proceedings. She also has broad experience in family-based immigration, helping clients with relative petitions, waivers, adjustment of status, and naturalization.
Karena’s passion for this work is personal—she grew up the daughter of asylum recipients and has made it her mission to support families escaping persecution. That experience fuels her commitment to serving the immigrant community with compassion, skill, and fairness. She makes it a priority to provide quality legal services at rates accessible to individuals with limited financial means, because she believes justice should never depend on income.
Licensed to practice in the State of Washington, Karena earned her Juris Doctor from Seattle University School of Law in 2016 and has dedicated her career to immigration law ever since. When she’s not in the courtroom or working with clients, Karena loves traveling, experimenting in the kitchen, and spending time with her husband, Erik, their two daughters, Elena and Evelyn, and the family’s goldendoodle, Atticus.
Jose Davila
Senior Immigration Paralegal
Jose Davila is a Senior Immigration Paralegal at the Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center, where he supports individuals and families navigating complex immigration processes, including asylum, removal defense, and humanitarian relief.
Since 2019, Jose has worked in both private firms and nonprofit legal settings, gaining hands-on experience with USCIS and EOIR filings, SIJS, TPS, FOIA requests, and more. He is fluent in English and Spanish and brings a culturally responsive and trauma-informed approach to his work with clients.
Jose graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience (BCN) and a minor in Latina/o Studies. He joined SWIRC in 2022, where he now helps lead case preparation and strategy for hundreds of clients across the Detroit metro area.
Jose is passionate about expanding access to legal services and supporting immigrant communities with empathy, excellence, and integrity.
Gricelda Rucker
Staff Paralegal
Gricelda Rucker is a Staff Paralegal at the Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center, providing compassionate legal support in immigration matters including removal defense, family petitions, consular processing, probate, and custody cases for unaccompanied minors.
Originally from Kantunil, Yucatán, Mexico, she has lived in the U.S. since 2002 and brings both lived experience and professional expertise to her work. She holds a B.S. in Paralegal Studies and Pre-Law from Madonna University and has over seven years’ experience in immigration law. Bilingual in English and Spanish, she is dedicated to serving the Hispanic community and empowering families through trusted guidance.
Married to her husband Charles, she is the proud mother of two daughters—one a Wayne State graduate and the other just beginning there. She enjoys family time, cooking, traveling, dancing, exploring new cuisines with Charles, and starting her mornings with strong coffee.
David Lopez
Paralegal
David Lopez is a dedicated Paralegal at the Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center (SWIRC), where he assists clients with a wide range of immigration matters, including asylum, family-based petitions, waivers, and motions before the immigration courts.
Born and raised in Southwest Detroit, David is a proud first-generation American from immigrant parents and considers Southwest Detroit his home. He has deep ties to the community he serves, which drives his passion for helping immigrant families find stability and hope through legal representation.
Alongside his work at SWIRC, David is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Law at Wayne State University, preparing for a future career in law and public service.
Please contact us if you would like to get in touch with any of our staff.
