Casa Cornelia Law Center celebrates and extends our deepest gratitude to Dr. Gloria Bader, who is retiring from her role as Chair of the Board of Directors after decades of distinguished service and leadership. Dr. Bader’s involvement with Casa Cornelia spans more than 25 years, reflecting an extraordinary commitment to advancing the mission and values of the organization and its founders, the Society of [...]
How Supporting DACA Applicants Shaped a Public Servant’s Path When Sean Elo-Rivera began his legal internship with Casa Cornelia Law Center in the summer of 2012, the national conversation around immigration was shifting. That same summer, the federal government rolled out Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a program that offered eligible young immigrants the chance to live, study, [...]
How One Attorney’s Pro Bono Experience Continues to Shape His Commitment to Justice When Marco Verdugo was sworn in as Chula Vista’s City Attorney on April 9, 2024, he stepped into a role that places him at the center of the city’s legal landscape. As the City’s general counsel, he advises the City Council, officials, boards, commissions, and departments [...]
There are people whose presence within an organization is so deeply woven into its fabric that imagining it without them feels impossible. Gary D. Lynn is one of those rare individuals. As Casa Cornelia Law Center prepares to say farewell to our beloved Director of Finance and Administration, we reflect with immense gratitude on Gary’s unwavering commitment, extraordinary leadership, and [...]
Mona Moazzaz, recent graduate of California Western School of Law, completed a clinical externship at Casa Cornelia Law Center for her final semester of law school this spring 2024. She worked on two victim cases under the Violence Against Women Act and had the opportunity to present at community outreach events throughout San Diego County. Here is her reflection [...]
When Andrea Caruso joined Casa Cornelia in August 2000 to coordinate the asylum program no one could have anticipated the events that were to transform the program at Casa Cornelia Law Center for the next two years. At the time of her hiring in the spring, everyone anticipated increased activity at the port of entry. Certainly, it was thought [...]
Virtually no one can secure an immigrant visa (sometimes referred to as a green card because of its original color) without being sponsored by a close family member who is either a U.S. citizen or a legal permanent resident. Non-immigrant visas, of course, are available to visit, study, and even work in the United States but to live permanently [...]
Don Quixote has featured in each of the law center's annual reports. What significance does this have? Actually, it was an attempt at whimsy. When Casa Cornelia began, I sometimes felt as if we were tilting at windmills and that Sr. Mary Wayne and I were on an ephemeral quest. Looking back, David and Goliath probably would have been [...]
