Immigration will be the theme of the Fall 2018 International Seminar Series. This series, which is free and open to the public, will take place at noon on Wednesdays in various locations in the Bone Student Center throughout the semester.
Linda Rivas, executive director of the Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso, Texas, will present “Immigration on the Border: Insight Into Practicing Immigration Law in the Border Region of El Paso, Texas” at the September 12 seminar in the Old Main Room of the Bone Student Center.
Born in Mexico and raised in El Paso from the age of 4, Rivas attended The University of Texas at El Paso and received a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in legal reasoning.
She received a juris doctor from Loyola College of Law in New Orleans. She tailored her experience to focus on immigration law, from her coursework to a legal internship with the Department of Justice, Executive Office of Immigration Review under Judge Wayne Stogner. Her first job as an attorney was as the West Texas VAWA Legal Supervisor at the Paso del Norte Civil Rights Project, where she worked in immigration law under the VAWA and U-VISA programs and engaged in domestic violence advocacy.
She is currently the Managing Attorney at Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center where she is focused on serving detained asylum seekers.
Information about the seminar series can be found on the Office of International Studies and Programs website.
The International Seminar Series offers the Illinois State campus and Bloomington-Normal community weekly opportunities to learn about a wide range of international topics. Guest speakers are experts in their fields across a range of disciplines who cover a wide array of cultural, historical, political, and social topics.
