Our small team has grown again! Last week Carlos Valdovinos started with us as a part-time paralegal. He began his immigration work in 2012 as a DOJ Accredited Representative for Community Health and Social Services (CHASS). There, he worked within CHASS’s LA VIDA program, and with Lakeshore Legal Aid, where he provided representation to survivors of domestic and sexual violence before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service.
Carlos attended Wayne State University Law School and graduated in 2019. While in law school, Carlos participated in the Law School’s Asylum and Immigration Law Clinic and represented clients in immigration matters. He also participated in Wayne Law’s Free Legal Aid Clinic, where he represented clients in a variety of civil matters. Carlos is passionate about providing advocacy to individuals who would not otherwise have access to legal representation or advice. He is bilingual in English and Spanish and is ready to help!
Carlos was hired as part of our collaborative relationship with Centro Multicultural La Familia in Pontiac; his position is supported by a grant from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. The grant we received from CFSEM allowed us to bring Amy Myer onboard earlier in the year as Legal Director and now Carlos as a paralegal.
When we are once again able to meet in person, Carlos will be at our Pontiac clinic regularly to support our work with those clients, many of whom come to us from Centro Multicultural. For now, he is joining our team in working for clients through online consultations and other remote means.
The Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center provides free and low-cost legal services to those who need them most in the Detroit area, with a focus on recent immigrants and refugees.
We were founded in 2014 by Kevin Piecuch, our Executive Director
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