The UC Immigrant Legal Services Center is comprised of a passionate team of legal professionals who are dedicated to supporting UC students and their families. Our goal is to remove barriers by providing immigration legal services so UC students can achieve their full potential in their educational pursuits. Based at the UC Davis School of Law, the UCIMM serves students through its Northern California and Southern California hubs. Our UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, and UC Santa Cruz attorneys are located on their respective campuses.
Meet Our Team
Grace
Staff Attorney
Grace is a Staff Attorney with the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center serving UCSF students, family, and some staff, as well as some UC Berkeley staff. Grace received her B.A. in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and her J.D. from Southwestern Law School. She is certified as a Legal Specialist in Immigration & Nationality Law by the Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California. Grace maintains a private law practice, Alano Immigration, in San Francisco. She currently serves as a Commissioner for the State Bar of California's Board of Legal Specialization, and was previously Vice Chair of their Immigration and Nationality Law Advisory Commission. She also previously served as an Asylum Liaison and Practice Management Coordinator for AILA NorCal. Grace enjoys spending time with her family, traveling with friends, dinner parties, movie nights, and learning hula.
Jennifer
Office Coordinator
Jennifer is the Office Coordinator for the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center. She joins us with over 25+ years of Executive and Administrative Assistance experience. Prior to joining the Center, she worked at the UC Davis, School of Law as a Faculty Support Assistant for 15 years, and previous to that she worked in the Native American Health field assisting the Native American community as an Executive Assistant at the Sacramento Native American Health Center. She has volunteered at various non-profit immigration agencies in the Bay Area. Jennifer enjoys spending time with her family and fitness activities. She is proficient in Spanish.
Litzi
Paralegal
UC Riverside
Litzi is a paralegal with the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center at UC Riverside. She holds an Associate of Arts in Social and Behavioral Studies, an Associate of Arts in Humanities, Philosophy, and Arts from Riverside City College, and a Bachelor's in Political Science from UC Riverside. Previously, Litzi was a student assistant at the center during her undergraduate studies. She also worked with the ABA Commission on Immigration hotline, where she provided detainees in ICE custody with legal information & resources. Litzi's motivation to be an Immigration Paralegal at the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center stems from her personal journey and experiences with the centers. In her free time, she enjoys matcha lattes and spending time with her pug. One day she plans to establish her own pug sanctuary, where she can provide them with lots of attention, care, love, and lots of delicious food.
Aidin Castillo Mazantini
Executive Director
Aidín Castillo Mazantini (she/her) is Executive Director of the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center (UCIMM), which provides free immigration legal services to undocumented students and to families of students enrolled at UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC San Francisco, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz. With nearly twenty years of experience as an immigrants’ rights and social justice advocate, Aidin has dedicated her career to removing barriers related to immigration status and to combating immigration detention, enforcement, and criminalization.
Aidin is an experienced immigration attorney with expertise in removal defense. She previously served as Director of the Immigrants’ Rights Practice at Centro Legal de la Raza, one of the largest removal defense programs in California. Prior to becoming director of the program Aidin was a supervisor and staff attorney at Centro Legal where she represented hundreds of clients in affirmative and defensive immigration matters, including detained and non-detained cases and complex immigration matters. Prior to that, Aidin worked at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) and was in charge of launching ILRC’s national immigration policy office in Washington, DC. During that time, she worked on legislative and regulatory advocacy, including the implementation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy. She has also been a contributor to several publications and practice advisories for immigration practitioners. In 2022, Aidin was recognized by the National Legal Aid & Defender Association for her extraordinary contributions to advancing access to justice and racial equity in civil legal aid and public defense.
Aidin is a proud immigrant from Mexico, and a first-generation college student. She is a founding member of Scholars Promoting Education, Access, and Knowledge (SPEAK) one of the first undocumented student groups for college students. Aidin's experience as a formerly undocumented immigrant and DACA beneficiary, informs her work as an attorney and social justice advocate. Aidin is a graduate of UC Davis and UC Davis School of Law.
Paloma
Staff Attorney
UC Merced
Paloma is the staff attorney with the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center serving UC Merced. Paloma received her B.A. from the University of California, San Diego and her J.D. from the Nebraska College of Law. Her experience includes interning for Kids in Need of Defense (“KIND”) and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (“EOIR”), and working for California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (“CRLA”) and the United Farm Workers Foundation (“UFW Foundation”). Paloma is a proud Central Valley native, and she is excited to be serving UC Merced and giving back to the community she loves. In her free time, Paloma enjoys cooking, exploring new cities and coffee shops in particular, attending live music events, spending quality time with her friends and loved ones, and volunteering with her local church.
Angelica
Paralegal
UC San Diego
Angelica is the Undocumented Student Services Paralegal at UC San Diego. She graduated from UC Riverside with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Administrative Studies. Angelica began her career by volunteering with the District Attorney’s Office of Los Angeles, working in the White-Collar Crimes Division. Then she joined the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) as a Senior Paralegal in the Removal Defense Unit, where she assisted clients in their removal proceedings cases before the immigration courts of Los Angeles, Santa Ana, Adelanto, and Van Nuys. In her free time, Angelica lifts, goes on runs, and attends festivals. Her hobbies include gaming, reading, and cooking.
Yoxira
Staff Attorney
UC Santa Barbara
Yoxira is a Staff Attorney with the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center and serves UC Santa Barbara. Yoxira is a proud UC Riverside alumna with a double major in Business Administration and Political Science. She received her law degree from UC Davis School of Law, where she participated in the UC Davis Immigration Clinic and earned an Immigration Law certificate. Prior to joining the Center, Yoxira worked as a Staff Attorney representing unaccompanied minors at Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project. She is excited to serve the UCSB community and committed to upholding the Center’s mission to foster a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment for prospective and current undocumented students, students from mixed status families, and students from refugee backgrounds. In her free time, Yoxira enjoys traveling, museums, skincare, nail art, and spending time with her family.
Ignacio
Paralegal
Ignacio is a paralegal for the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from California State University, Sacramento (Sac State). He has worked in the field of public service for over 15 years, where he has assisted families in a wide range of services. Ignacio has volunteered at various government and non-profit agencies involved with family support, unity, and reunification. Ignacio has over 6 years’ experience in the field of immigration law from previously working at a private practice as a paralegal. Ignacio enjoys exploring the coast of California, Oregon and Washington by bike riding and fishing.
Sergio
Staff Attorney
UC Irvine
Sergio is a staff attorney for the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center (UCIMM) at UC Irvine. Prior to his current role, Sergio worked as a staff attorney at the USC Immigration Clinic and as a legal fellow for UCIMM. Sergio is the son of Ecuadorian immigrants; he was born and raised in Miami, Florida. He is a graduate of UC Davis School of Law.
Felix Haley
Office Manager
Felix Haley is the Office Manager for the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center. He graduated from Ball State University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Interpersonal Relations. Prior to joining the Center, he worked in child welfare investigations and case management, substance abuse treatment, and higher education office management positions. Felix enjoys traveling, hiking, playing piano, and racket sports.
Jacqueline
Paralegal
UC Los Angeles
Jacqueline is a Paralegal with the UC Immigrant Legal Service Center out of the UCLA campus at the Bruin Resource Center. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from UCLA in Political Science with a minor in Cognitive Science. Jacqueline began her career by interning with the UCLA School of Law Immigrant Family Legal Clinic, then working for a private immigration-law practice in East Los Angeles as a paralegal. Her personal experience with immigration has encompassed her commitment to supporting undocumented students and advocating for the immigrant community. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, concerts, nail art, thrifting, and record shopping.
Andres
Staff Attorney
UC San Diego
Andrés is a Staff Attorney with the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center and serves UCSD through the Undocumented Student Services Center. Andrés obtained both his B.A. in Philosophy and his law degree, with a focus on immigration law, at the University of Arizona. He worked for nine years in New York City at CUNY Citizenship Now!, where he provided free immigration legal services including naturalization assistance, family-based adjustment of status, and consular processing. More recently, Andrés had a private immigration-law practice focusing on family-based immigration law as well as artist visas. He is admitted to practice law in California, New York, and Arizona, and is fluent in Spanish. Andrés enjoys playing flamenco guitar and travelling.
Shahpour (Shawn) Matloob
Staff Attorney
UC Berkeley
Shahpour (Shawn) Matloob is a Staff Attorney with the UC Immigrant Legal Services serving legal permanent resident UC Berkeley students, staff and faculty. Shawn is an Immigration & Nationality Law Certified Specialist by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. He maintains a private immigration law practice, Matloob Law Office, in Berkeley. He currently serves on AILA USCIS Operations Committee, AILA NorCal Advisory Council as San Francisco USCIS Co-Liaison, and Iranian American Bar Association Northern California Chapter's Advisory Board. He previously served as AILA NorCal's Asylum, SF Immigration Court and CBP liaisons. He received his B.A. in Political Science and Near Eastern Studies from UC Berkeley and his J.D from UC Law SF with concentration in International Law. He enjoys spending time with his friends and their kids, dancing to Latin Pop music, watching movies and biking.
Vivek Mittal
Managing Attorney
UCLA
Vivek Mittal is a Managing Attorney at the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center. A graduate of the UCLA School of Law, Vivek has been an Adjunct Professor at the Immigrant Rights Clinic at the UC Irvine School of Law, and served as a law clerk to the Honorable Consuelo B. Marshall, Senior District Court Judge in the Central District of California in Los Angeles, California. Prior to this, he worked as an immigration practitioner at a private immigration firm in Los Angeles. In 2009, Vivek was selected to be an Equal Justice Works Fellow at the National Immigration Law Center, where he litigated high-impact cases regarding anti-immigration laws across the country, most notably against Arizona’s SB 1070 and Alabama’s HB 56. For this work, he was honored by the Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights Los Angeles (CHIRLA). Vivek enjoys creative writing, tennis, running and spending time with his daughter and partner. He is highly proficient in spoken Hindi.
Gina
Staff Attorney
Gina is the Staff Attorney with the UC Immigrant Legal Service Center out of the UCLA campus at the Bruin Resource Center. Gina earned her Juris Doctor from Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles as a part of their two-year SCALE program and her Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies and American Studies with an emphasis in public policy from the University of California, Berkeley. As the daughter of Belizean immigrants, her passion for advocating for the immigrant community started at a young age. Prior to joining the center, she worked on a variety of different immigration cases including removal defense, family-based petitions, U-Visas, VAWA’s, SIJS, and Naturalizations at a private immigration firm. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, concerts, and spending time with her family and dog.
Rachel Ray
Managing Attorney
Rachel Ray is a Managing Attorney at the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center. She is a graduate of UC Davis School of Law (J.D.) and Whitman College (B.A., Art History and Visual Culture Studies). Her immigration legal experience includes removal defense, family and humanitarian based immigration, and business immigration work at private firms and nonprofit organizations. Prior to joining the UC Center in 2015, Rachel served as the as attorney for the UC Davis Immigration Law Clinic’s Unaccompanied Minors Project, representing unaccompanied minors in removal proceedings. Rachel has served on multiple boards, including the AILA Santa Clara Valley Chapter, Somos Mayfair, and the Santa Clara Valley and Yolo County Chapters of the ACLU. Her other volunteer work includes roles as the USCIS Sacramento Co-Liaison and Law Student Coordinator for AILA NorCal, as well as a volunteer art and garden docent in her child’s school. In her free time, Rachel enjoys reading, hiking, gardening with CA native plants, painting, and spending time with her life partner and their child and rescue dogs. She is highly proficient in both spoken and written Spanish.
Christopher
Staff Attorney
UC Davis
Christopher is a Staff Attorney with the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center and serves UC Davis. He grew up in Manila, Philippines, and immigrated to the United States at the age of seventeen with his parents and three younger siblings. He is a graduate of UC Davis School of Law (J.D.) and San Francisco State University (B.A., Philosophy). Prior to joining the UC Center, he worked as an immigration attorney at a private law firm in San Francisco and Glendale, California. His immigration legal experience includes removal defense, family and employment based immigration, hardship waivers, and consular processing. Chris enjoys hiking and going on long drives while listening to audiobooks and podcasts. He has language capabilities in Spanish and French and is a native speaker of Tagalog.
Felipe
Staff Attorney
Bay Area DACA Initiative
Felipe is a Staff Attorney with the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center, where he works on special projects in collaboration with the Bay Area DACA Initiative (BADI). Felipe Received his B.A. from California State University, Los Angeles, and his JD from Santa Clara University, School of Law. Prior to joining the Center, Felipe worked at the non-profit Human Agenda, representing clients in humanitarian immigration matters, including asylum proceedings before the San Francisco Immigration Court. As a first-generation Latinx attorney born to immigrant parents from rural Mexico, he is deeply committed to immigrant advocacy. Felipe is a native Spanish speaker and serves as Vice Chair of the Santa Clara County Human Rights Commission, President of the Santa Clara County La Raza Lawyers Association, and Advocacy Liaison for the Santa Clara County chapter of AILA. In his free time, Felipe enjoys spending time with his family and taking landscape photography.
Lorena
DOJ Accredited Representative
Lorena is a DOJ Accredited Representative and is an alumna from UC Riverside holding a Master’s in Public Policy. She first attended Mt. San Jacinto College and later transferred to CSU San Bernardino where she completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology. As A CSUSB alumna, Lorena co-founded the first Undocumented Alumni Chapter in the CSU system. Her mission is to continue active participation in the immigrant rights movement, encouraging support and communicating available resources to her community that expand beyond DACA. Lorena is fluent in both spoken and written Spanish.
Karia
Paralegal
UC Irvine, UC Riverside
Karia is a paralegal for the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center. She is a graduate from California State University, Fullerton with bachelor’s degrees in Communications: Public Relations and Ethnic Studies: Chicano Studies. Karia grew up advocating for immigrant rights and social justice. She has volunteered with various organizations to provide free legal services. Karia has over 10 years’ experience in the field of immigration law from previously working at a private practice as a paralegal. In her free time, she enjoys going to the beach, spending time with her family, and dog.
Amber
Staff Attorney
UC Riverside
Amber is a Staff Attorney at the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center and serves the UC Riverside campus. Her immigration legal experience includes detained and non-detained removal defense, family-based petitions, naturalization, consular processing, and humanitarian relief. Prior to joining the UC Center, Amber worked as a Staff Attorney at Kids In Need of Defense (“KIND”). Amber serves, for the second year, as a Wellness Committee Co-Liaison for the AILA SoCal Chapter. In addition to her legal work, Amber is a certified yoga instructor and incorporates mindfulness, patience, and compassion into her practice, principles that support her client centered approach. She received her J.D. degree from Loyola Law School, where she received honors in the Immigrant Advocacy concentration and participated in the Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic ("LIJC"). Amber is a proud UCSB alumna with a B.A. in English and Chicana/o Studies. She is from an immigrant family, who she credits with her work ethic, sense of humor, and fashion expertise. In her free time, Amber enjoys art, event planning, reading, cooking, traveling, and hanging out with her family and mini dachshund. Amber is licensed to practice in California and admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
Lily
Staff Attorney
UC Santa Cruz
Lily is a Staff Attorney with the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center and serves UC Santa Cruz. She is a graduate of Thomas Jefferson School of Law (J.D.) and UC Santa Cruz (B.A., Legal Studies; B.A., French and Francophone Studies). Prior to joining the UC Center, she worked as an immigration attorney at non-profits and at private law firms in the Bay Area and on the Central Coast of California. More recently, Lily had a private immigration-law practice focusing on humanitarian-based and family-based immigration law. Lily enjoys cheering on her kids from the sidelines and exploring local parks, coastlines, and mountains with her family. She has language capabilities in French and is a native Spanish-speaker.