4.2 What inspired you to become an immigration attorney?

While many of us feel connected to the legal fight for justice through books, movies, and media, Carlos has a much more personal story about his family’s immigration journey to the United States. Here he tells us what they experienced.

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Transcript: “I was born in Mexico–my family is from Mexico. My dad got his green card through the amnesty program from back in 1986, but it was really challenging. My dad went through a lot of hurdles, they went through a lot of, my family, they went through a lot of non-lawyers and lawyers who sadly scammed them; they took a lot of money away from them. Now that I’m an attorney, I realize that their case was really easy, and they just got scammed, and I always, I always promised myself to be the type of attorney that I would have wanted my parents to have back then, because, like I said, I now realize that the case was really easy, it was just those people who scammed them. During my, um, university studies, I did a lot of volunteering at local immigration law firms. Locally, I volunteer at Raíces, which is an immigration non-profit, and that really inspired me to become an attorney. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to be an attorney, but helping people, helping people who recently, recently arrived in the country, to the United States, fleeing violence, was a really eye-opening moment for me, and I decided to pursue this career and become an immigration attorney.”

The injustice the Carlos’s family faced as they sought permanent residency in the United States became a strong personal motivator, one that inspired him to make the experience smoother, simpler, and clearer for others. Through his volunteer work and, eventually, the opening of his own law firm, Carlos is able to support other families the way he wishes his own had been supported, providing professional and reliable services for his clients. He has helped thousands of clients navigate the challenges of immigration law, and he has even been able to use his skills to improve the immigration process for the next generation of his own family, securing citizenship for his own daughter, Ana, who was born in Mexico.

As you learn about Carlos’s experiences, I encourage you to reflect on your own life and what experiences might inspire your future career. Personal motivations can lead us to some of the most fulfilling jobs where we can make a meaningful difference in the world.