FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, NY, March 15, 2022—Today, the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights announced the inaugural cohort of fellows in the Elizabeth Frankel Fellowship Program. The Fellowship was created to honor the memory of the organization’s former Associate Director, a staunch child rights advocate, and to train a new generation of attorneys to fight for the rights of unaccompanied immigrant children.

Fellow Rubí Rodriguez is a student at Columbia Law School, where she is also a Public Interest/Public Service Fellow and participated in the LaLSA Asylum & Refugee Law Moot Court. Rubí previously served as the Volunteer Coordinator at the Young Center’s New York office and worked at the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project as a paralegal on the team that obtained a nationwide injunction banning the government from separating families at the border. She was also part of the team that challenged the government’s practice of sending asylum-seeking families back to Mexico pending their immigration hearings. “My experiences so far have taught me about the multi-faceted role of lawyers opposing policies harmful to oppressed and vulnerable populations. Being part of a collective effort to protect immigrant families exposed me to the vastness of the immigration field comprised of civil rights litigators, defense attorneys, and policy advocates working together. I view this fellowship as an opportunity to tangibly demonstrate my gratitude for Liz, who had a lasting impact on me. I cannot think of a better way to honor her legacy and dedication to helping immigrant children than by contributing to the work of which she was most proud.”

Fellow Mary Ruiz De La O is a student at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law where she recently participated in the Refugee and Human Rights Clinic. Mary is a member of the Executive Board of the Latinx Law Student Association where she focuses on demystifying law school for students from marginalized backgrounds. Previously, she has worked with the Alameda County Public Defender's Immigration Unit defending people against deportation. Mary has also served as a program coordinator at the East Bay Community Law Center in their Education, Defense, and Justice for Youth program where she contributed to the defense of children impacted by school-push-out and the criminal legal system. “As a kid, my desire to protect my family extended to caring for others. It continues to impact the work that I do today and the vision I have for my future now. I have a deep desire to utilize my legal training to ensure that no one experiences family separation through systemic oppression. This has built an interest in juvenile defense and deportation defense work and thinking about the intersections of policy and the law. I want to see a full picture of my client’s experiences, but also want to develop a systemic analysis of the issues impacting their lives. I feel strongly that I can use my direct service skills, as well as my commitment to racial/social justice to make meaningful contributions to the Elizabeth Frankel Fellowship.”

Fellow Oneida Vargas Molina is a student at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Prior to law school, she attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale where she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Spanish. Previously, Oneida has worked as a case manager at National Youth Advocate Program-La Jornada, which serves unaccompanied children around the country. Oneida has also interned at the Cook County’s Public Defender’s Office in the Juvenile Department and at the Illinois State Capitol. “Working with the Young Center’s Chicago office before law school afforded me the opportunity to understand the role attorneys play in the futures of each child. As an immigration attorney, I want to work towards identifying and advocating for long-term legal relief for each child. I am positive that the Elizabeth Frankel Fellowship is a step in the right direction for my long-term career goals, especially given my personal experience with immigration as a child.”

The Elizabeth Frankel Fellowship Program will enable fellows to spend 10 weeks training to advocate for children. The Fellows will serve as Child Advocates for individual children, and will also conduct legal research and writing, under the guidance of Young Center staff within the Child Advocate Program. Fellows will be based in New York City and have the opportunity to spend a week of the Fellowship Program in the Young Center’s Harlingen office to understand how immigration patterns, enforcement, and advocacy play out on the ground along the U.S.-Mexico border.

“The Fellowship Program received more than 100 applicants who offered incredible skills and experiences to this Program. We are beyond proud of the incredible cohort of fellows who will join the Young Center community. They embody Liz’s values and will no-doubt strengthen the effort to defend the human rights of immigrant children in the United States,” said Young Center Executive Director Gladis Molina Alt.

Elizabeth Frankel, recipient of the M. Shanara Gilbert Human Rights Award from the Society of American Law Teachers, was one of the first full-time attorneys at the Young Center and spent more than a decade fighting for children’s rights at the organization, where she also taught students in the University of Chicago law clinic and authored an article on children caught between the delinquency and immigration systems. She founded the Young Center’s office in Harlingen, near the border in Texas, and expanded the work of volunteer Child Advocates in states around the country.

“Elizabeth was passionate about training young people to strengthen the human rights movement. Teaching at the University of Chicago Law School while working at the Young Center was an experience she cherished, and this Fellowship builds on that legacy. We know that Elizabeth would be proud of Rubí, Mary, and Oneida,” said Liz’s family.

To learn more about the Fellowship, click here.

To learn more about Elizabeth Frankel's work and legacy, click here.

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The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights is a non-profit organization that protects and advances the rights and best interests of immigrant children and advocates for an immigration system that treats children as children first. For press inquiries, please contact Noorjahan Akbar at media@theyoungcenter.org or 202-725-7184.