Let’s stand together to protect our rights, promote equality, and build a more inclusive society for all.

 

Our speakers’ biographies:

 

Sophia Genovese (she/hers/her)

New Mexico Immigrant Law Center (NMILC)- Managing Attorney for the Asylum and Detention Programs

Sophia Genovese is the Managing Attorney for the asylum and detention programs at the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center. Sophia is also the legal expert for 

the Dignity Not Detention bill at the New Mexico State Legislature which, if passed, would prohibit state public entities from participating in the civil immigration 

detention of asylum seekers in New Mexico. Prior to joining NMILC, Sophia founded a pro bono detention representation program in New York State, focusing her 

practice on the intersection of law and organizing. Before that, she was a Staff Attorney at the Southern Poverty Law Center, providing direct representation to 

detained immigrants in rural Georgia. Sophia is a frequent speaker and lecturer on detention representation, border policies, and community lawyering. She graduated f

rom Brooklyn Law School in the 2-year accelerated JD program, and summa cum laude from Whittier College.

Alondra Reyes (she/hers/her)

New Mexico Immigrant Law Center (NMILC) - Policy and Partnerships Manager

As a proud first-generation Mexican American, Alondra has been and continues to work in direct legal services and community-led advocacy fighting for immigrant 

rights. She began at the NMILC in 2021 after interning her senior year of college. She has worked in various capacities and departments within the organization and 

now is focused on passing and educating community members on pro-immigrant policies. Currently, Alondra is focused on the passing of the Dignity Not Detention 

Act, aimed to stop the detaining of immigrants in New Mexico.

Alondra graduated cum laude from the University of New Mexico in 2021 with a double Bachelor’s in Spanish and Psychology. She previously worked as a UNM 

Service Corp Researcher for PB&J Family Services, where she led research aimed to understand the relationship between familial poverty, incarceration, and/or 

addiction on pre-school students’ access to and success in academia. She also worked at the Bernalillo County Youth Services Center as a UNM Service 

Corps Journalist, focused on leading education and research on creating and maintaining alternatives to detention through supervision programs that promote 

education, healthy lifestyles, and positive choices for youth.

Additionally, she was also heavily involved in research focused on the healthcare and education experiences of Latinx in the U.S. Lastly, she was also a Research