County Names Immigration Lawyer as First Director of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs

San Diego County will welcome Lucero Chavez Basilio as its initially director of the Business office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs Friday adhering to a nationwide recruitment for the situation, it was introduced Thursday.

“It is an honor and privilege to do the job with the citizens of San Diego and our partners all over the county to establish the Workplace of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs,” claimed Chavez Basilio, a bilingual Spanish speaker and lawyer, who has invested a lot more than 10 several years representing immigrant and refugee children and households in immigration proceedings and in humanitarian and spouse and children- primarily based petitions.

“I glance forward to building and promoting packages and initiatives that are responsive to the requires of the local community,” she explained.

Basilio has worked with metropolis councils, community organizations and regulation enforcement companies during Southern California to generate and employ professional immigrant procedures and applications.

“After many years of advocacy from the local community, I was happy to bring ahead a proposal with Vice Chair [Nora] Vargas past calendar year to produce the Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs,” reported Nathan Fletcher, chair of the county Board of Supervisors. “I am truly fired up to welcome Ms. Chavez Basilio to head the business office, I am self-assured that with her encounter, passion and leadership, we will continue on to make San Diego County far more welcoming for all people.”

The business office is found within the county’s Health and Human Products and services Company‘s Department of Homeless Answers and Equitable Communities — headed by Barbara Jimenez.

“For the county and our communities, this is extremely fascinating news,” Jimenez stated. “We are all keen for Ms. Chavez Basilio to join the staff and engage the neighborhood, both equally in creating out and leading this new business office.”

Chavez Basilio grew up in a operating-course immigrant neighborhood in Southeast Los Angeles and is the very pleased daughter of Mexican immigrants. She holds a B.A. in American Literature and Tradition and Chicana/o Experiments from UCLA and a J.D. from the UC Berkeley College of Legislation. She also has taught Administrative Legislation at Western Point out Faculty of Regulation and Immigration Legislation and Plan at the UC Irvine School of Law.

“This is an vital day for the county of San Diego, a person that acknowledges the wealthy and ongoing contributions, as properly as the requires, of our region’s immigrants and refugees,” claimed Nick Macchione, director of the HHSA.

“Lucero Chavez Basilio delivers a prosperity of knowledge working with immigrant and refugee households and has the vision to direct the new business office,” claimed Vargas, vice chair of the county Board of Supervisors. “I am thrilled she will guide the agency functioning in partnership with the group and elevating the favourable contributions immigrants and refugees carry to our tradition and economy in the bi-countrywide area.”