Jacklyn Garcia

I am a native New Yorker and my friends will tell you they knew I was destined to be an immigration attorney before I even knew it. In high school, my diverse circle of friends – referred to fondly by my parents as the United Nations – was suddenly confronted with a stark, arbitrary divide: Those who could get driver’s licenses and fill out the FAFSA, and those who could not.

Then, everyone began buzzing about what President Obama might do for Dreamers, and my path was revealed. I studied Sociology and Spanish at Quinnipiac University, focusing on issues facing immigrants and women, and began working at a refugee resettlement agency.

Upon graduating in 2013, I relocated to Austin as an AmeriCorps member at Casa Marianella, a shelter for immigrants and asylum seekers, and from there fell in love with the Austin immigrant community and its allies. In 2016, I joined Abogada Kate to obtain experience as a legal assistant and volunteered at the Karnes detention center as well as at citizenship and TPS clinics.

I returned to New York to attend the City University of New York School of Law in 2017 and organized credible fear interview training and volunteer trips to the Berks, PA and Dilley, TX family detention centers with students, professors, and alums. I graduated from law school in 2020 and relocated permanently to Austin with my husband and dog. I am now an Associate Attorney with Abogada Kate, predominantly working on deportation defense and humanitarian visa cases.