The National Immigrant Justice Center's staff includes licensed attorneys, paralegals, and Board of Immigration Appeals-accredited representatives. NIJC staff speak a variety of languages, including Spanish, French, Mandarin, Urdu, and Punjabi.

Dusty Aráujo is the coordinator for NIJC's Asylum Documentation Project. He served in a similar capacity at the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), which housed the program from 1997 until 2007. Through the program he assists hundreds of immigrants seeking asylum worldwide by providing country packets documenting human right abuses against LGBT and people with HIV. Dusty is one of the founding members of the Lesbian and Gay Parents Association, and has been involved in HIV prevention work in the Latino gay community. He has volunteered with Community United Against Violence (CUAV) since 1994, serving as a speaker to youth in middle schools and high schools. Contact Dusty at daraujo-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.

Heather Benno is a staff attorney with NIJC's Immigrant Legal Defense Project.  A 2006 graduate of Northwestern Law School, she represented clients in post-conviction proceedings through the Bluhm Legal Clinic's Center on Wrongful Convictions. She also conducted independent research on the impact of gender violence law on Palestinian women within Israel.  Before starting at NIJC, she worked as an associate in the Labor & Employment practice group at Winston & Strawn LLP.  She is an active community organizer, and has mobilized for local and national actions with immigrant rights advocacy groups. Contact Heather at hbenno-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.

Rocío Castañeda is a paralegal with General Immigrant Services and with New Americans Initiative in our Pilsen office. Prior to joining our staff, she volunteered with immigrant and refugee populations in North Chicago. In 2006, Rocío received a B.S. in Anthropology and a B.A. in International Studies from Loyola University Chicago. Her area of concentration and research focuses on Border Studies, specifically the Mexico-U.S. border. Contact Rocio at rcastaneda2-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.

Kayla Casey is a paralegal with the Immigrant Legal Defense Project in NIJC's Pilsen office. In 2006, she received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Loyola University in Chicago. Prior to coming to NIJC Kayla worked with immigrants in the Chicago area and was an intern with Amnesty International in Santiago, Chile. Contact Kayla at kcasey-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.

Maren Christensen is a paralegal with the immigrant legal defense project as well as the New Americans Initiative at NIJC's Pilsen office. Prior to joining NIJC, Maren has worked as a program developer with the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority and as an internship program coordinator with the Human Rights Program at the University of Chicago. She has also interned with a women's rights organization in Oaxaca, Mexico. Maren graduated from the University of Chicago in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy and Human Rights. Contact Maren at mchristensen-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.

Mary Durbin is a paralegal with NIJC's Immigrant Children's Protection Project. Mary conducts legal intakes, screening, and case preparation for detained immigrants and asylum seekers. She also conducts legal orientation presentations to detainees held in Midwest facilities. In 2005, Mary spent a semester studying abroad in Santiago, Chile, through a program at the University of Notre Dame. Mary also volunteered as an intern at Catholic Charities Immigration and Counseling Services as well as Legal Aid of Northwest Texas. Mary graduated from Notre Dame with a bachelor's degree in American studies and Spanish in May 2007.

Norma Duron-Rojas is a Board of Immigration Appeals-accredited representative and provides direct services and support for family-based immigration cases. Norma works at the National Immigrant Justice Center's Waukegan location. Contact Norma at nduronrojas-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.

Jonathan Eoloff, staff attorney for NIJC's National Asylum Partnership on Sexual Orientation (NAPSO), provides legal assistance to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) asylum seekers and immigrants who are HIV-positive. In addition, Jonathan develops partnerships with service providers and pro bono attorneys nationwide to distribute outreach materials and build national capacity for representing immigrants fleeing persecution on account of their sexual orientation, gender identity or HIV status. Prior to joining NIJC, Jonathan was an associate attorney with the Mexican Capital Legal Assistance Program, where he provided litigation support to defense attorneys representing Mexican nationals facing capital charges or who are on death row in the United States. Jonathan is a 2004 graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School and is licensed by the State of Minnesota. Contact Jonathan at jeoloff-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.

Colleen Haley is a paralegal for NIJC, splitting her time between Immigrant Legal Defense Services and the Immigrant Children's Protection Project.  Prior to joining the NIJC staff, Colleen lived in Honduras, teaching at a rural bilingual school.  She worked through Teach For America as a bilingual educator in Phoenix, Arizona, and at a Hispanic/Latino non-profit cultural center in Detroit, Michigan.  Colleen has degrees in comparative literature and Spanish from the University of Michigan. Contact Colleen at chaley-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.

Lisa Koop, supervising attorney for NIJC's Asylum Project, provides deportation-defense and administrative representation to low-income immigrants at NIJC's Loop office. Before joining NIJC, Lisa completed a two-year fellowship at the Notre Dame Legal Clinic, where she taught and supervised law students who handled immigration cases. Lisa graduated from Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis in 2004 and is licensed in Indiana. Contact Lisa at lkoop-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.

Tara Magner is NIJC’s director of policy. Her responsibilities include analyzing developments in immigration law and policy and advocating for positive reform in Congress and within executive branch agencies. She is a member of the American Bar Association's Commission on Immigration. Tara joined the NIJC staff after serving as a counsel to Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont on the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. In her five years on Senator Leahy’s committee staff, Tara handled immigration, refugee and human rights issues. Prior to that, she served as deputy director of the Winston Foundation, a private foundation that awarded grants on international human rights, refugee protection, and conflict resolution. Tara is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and is admitted to the bar in Maryland. Contact Tara at tmagner-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.

Hena Mansori is an attorney with NIJC's Detention Project. Hena previously volunteered with NIJC in 2002 and 2003. During law school, Hena interned with Lawyers for Children in New York and the ACLU of Illinois in Chicago, and represented clients in New York University's Immigrant Rights Clinic.  Hena has also worked with the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago.  Hena graduated from New York University School of Law in 2006 and is licensed in the State of Illinois. Contact Hena at hmansori-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.

Mary Meg McCarthy has served as the director of NIJC since 1998 and oversees all aspects of NIJC’s legal services and advocacy on behalf of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers as well as programmatic and operational functions of NIJC. Under Mary Meg’s direction, NIJC has built a pro bono network of more than 700 attorneys in Chicago alone and has become the leading immigrant and human rights program in the Midwest. Prior to joining NIJC in 1998, Mary Meg practiced civil litigation at the law firm of Horvath & Lieber and served as a pro bono attorney for NIJC’s asylum project. Mary Meg is a 1989 graduate of Loyola University School of Law and is licensed by the State of Illinois. Contact Mary Meg at mmccarthy-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.

Claudia Mendiola is the receptionist for NIJC's Pilsen Office. Claudia provides office oparational support and performs clerical assistance to NIJC's staff and clients. Contact Claudia at cmendiola-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.

Claudia Morales is the immigrant services advocate for NIJC's Counter-Trafficking Services Project. She provides advocacy and referral services to victims of human trafficking in Illinois. Additionally, she conducts outreach and education on human trafficking issues throughout the Midwest and Latin America. Claudia has extensive experience as an advocate for immigrant victims of crimes both in the public and nonprofit sectors. She previously worked as a victim-witness advocate for the Illinois States Attorney’s Office (Special Prosecution Unit), and also as a community educator and domestic violence counselor at Mujeres Latinas en Accion in Chicago. Contact Claudia at cmorales-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.

Amina L. Najib, staff attorney for NIJC's Immigrant Legal Defense Project, provides legal representation to immigrants in administrative applications and deportation proceedings. Prior to joining NIJC as a staff attorney, Amina worked for a private immigration firm in the Chicago area. She also previously interned with Al-Haq, a human rights NGO in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, where she advocated for the basic human rights of occupied peoples. Amina graduated from DePaul University College of Law in 2005 and is licensed in the State of Illinois. Contact Amina at anajib-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.

Esperanza Rodriguez is the receptionist for NIJC’s office in downtown Chicago and helps to manage all administrative needs of the office. Esperanza has been working for NIJC since 1987. Contact Esperanza at erodriguez-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.

Chuck Roth is the director of litigation for NIJC. He provides legal support to pro bono attorneys and serves as the liaison for litigation cases in which NIJC acts as co-counsel with major law firms. Chuck is a 1996 graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School and is licensed by the State of New York. Contact Chuck at croth-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.

Mony Ruiz-Velasco is the director of legal services for NIJC's Immigrant Legal Defense Project, citizenship, and gender-based protection projects. Mony worked with NIJC in 2001-2002, and afterward worked in private immigration law practice. Previously, Mony was an attorney advisor under the Attorney General's Honors Program at the Executive Office for Immigration Review. Mony is a 1999 graduate of St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas and is licensed in Texas. Contact Mony at mruizvelasco-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.

Nora Salgado is a paralegal working with NIJC's Gender Justice Initiative and Immigrant Legal Defense Projects. Nora graduated from Northeastern Illinois University in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. Prior to joining NIJC, she worked as a court advocate on behalf of domestic violence victims in DuPage County. Contact Nora at nsalgado-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.

Shannon Scully is a paralegal for NIJC's Detention Project. Shannon conducts legal intakes, screening, and case preparation for detained immigrants and asylum seekers. She also conducts legal orientation presentations to detainees held in Midwest facilities. Shannon is a graduate of the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota, where she received her bachelor's degree with concentrations in gender and women's studies and Spanish.

Karolyn Talbert, supervising attorney for NIJC's Immigrant Legal Defense Project, provides legal representation to immigrants in administrative applications and in removal proceedings. Karolyn is a former Equal Justice Works Fellow, sponsored by Winston & Strawn, and her fellowship focused on preventing notary fraud. Prior to joining NIJC, Karolyn served as the attorney advisor for the immigration court in Chicago, Illinois. Karolyn is a 2002 graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law and is licensed in the State of Illinois.

Tara Tidwell Cullen is the communications coordinator for NIJC. She works with members of the media to tell stories about the need for fair and humane immigration laws, maintains the NIJC website, and edits the NIJC Immigration News Blog. Tara previously served as the managing editor of Cultural Survival Quarterly and has been a freelance reporter and organizer for a number of other social justice organizations. She received a degree in journalism and international studies from Northwestern University. Contact Tara at ttidwellcullen-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.

Melissa Untereker, supervising attorney for NIJC's Immigrant Legal Defense Project, provides legal representation to immigrants in administrative applications and deportation proceedings. Prior to joining NIJC as a staff attorney, Melissa advocated for the rights of low-wage immigrant workers as a union organizer in the Chicago area. She also previously volunteered with NIJC as an Equal Justice Works Summer Corps member and worked at the Chicago immigration court as a legal extern. Melissa graduated from DePaul College of Law in 2006 and is licensed in the State of Illinois. Contact Melissa at muntereker-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.

Claudia Valenzuela is the supervising attorney for NIJC’s Detention Project. Claudia conducts legal orientation presentations to detainees and represents detainees in immigration proceedings throughout the Midwest. Prior to her graduation from the DePaul University College of Law in 2002, Claudia served as a legal intern for NIJC developing a program for outreach and legal services to Chicago’s Guatemalan and Salvadoran communities. Claudia is licensed by the State of Illinois. Contact Claudia at cvalenzuela-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.

Esperanza Walczak is the receptionist for NIJC’s downtown office and has provided primary office management and support for NIJC’s staff and clients for more than 20 years. Contact Esperanza at ewalczak-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.

Eleni Wolfe-Roubatis is an attorney with NIJC's Detention Project. Eleni previously interned with NIJC's Detention Project as an Equal Justice Works Summer Corps Volunteer. She also has worked at Pilsen's Latinos Progresando providing family-based immigration services, VAWA services and assisting with asylum petitions. Eleni graduated from DePaul College of Law in 2007. Contact Eleni at ewolfe-at-heartlandalliance-dot-org.