Marisa Peñaloza

Attorney Advocates For Poor As Immigration Debate Continues

Marisa Peñaloza — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 15:34:00 +0000

As Washington debates changing the immigration system, the demand for immigration attorneys has already jumped, even without new laws in place.

Lawyers such as Jose Pertierra, a veteran immigration attorney, are trained to interpret the law, but Pertierra sees his role as much more.

Every Thursday at 6 p.m. for the past 10 years, Pertierrra is here — on the set of the Spanish language TV studios of Univision in Washington, D.C., near Capitol Hill.

Immigrants Key To Looming Health Aide Shortage

Marisa Peñaloza — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 21:43:00 +0000

In the shadow of the Capitol on a recent sunny morning, about 50 home care workers from around the country gather to lobby their legislators for basic labor rights. Most are native-born Americans, but about a quarter are documented immigrants from Africa, Latin America, India and the Caribbean.

Elizabeth Castillo is one of them. Born in central Mexico, she's now a U.S. citizen. She's been working with an agency for 30 years in El Paso, Texas, and she says she currently makes $7.75 an hour.

For Ex-Felons, Limited Rights Mean A Future On Hold

Marisa Peñaloza — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 22:21:00 +0000

Vikki Hankins wants nothing more in the world than to have her civil rights restored. Hankins, 43, lost the right to vote — and many others — when she went to a federal prison for selling cocaine in December 1990. She spent almost two decades behind bars for her crime.

Today, Hankins is an author and an undergrad who dreams of going to law school. She got out of prison four years ago and quickly applied to have her rights — like voting, serving on a jury and becoming a lawyer — restored.

Hankins was denied. She has reapplied three times since.