Daniela Hernandez Chong Cuy is an attorney licensed to practice in the state of California and in Mexico. Prior to opening her law practice, Daniela worked as a removal defense staff attorney at Immigrant Defenders Law Center, in Los Angeles, California, representing individuals who have been found incompetent to represent themselves in Immigration Court. She opened her law practice with the goal to provide holistic representation in and beyond the immigration legal system.
Daniela comes to the immigration practice after many years working in human rights. From 2011-2015, Daniela worked as an Area Director at the National Human Rights Commission (Comision Nacional de Derechos Humanos) in Mexico City, Mexico. Her work entailed investigating serious human rights abuses, such as torture, executions and forced disappearances, committed by the Mexican military and other federal agencies. During her tenure at the National Human Rights Commission, Daniela produced dozens of reports and recommendations that have been used as evidence at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and cited by international agencies.
Daniela obtained her law degree from Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (Mexico, 2012), and a Master in Law (LLM) from UCLA Law School (2017). She completed a Master in Human Rights from Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico, degree expected in 2020). Her academic and professional background has provided her with a unique comparative legal perspective of the U.S. and Mexican legal systems and international human rights law.
Daniela is originally from Mexicali, Baja California. She began her professional career in Mexico City where she lived for many years before moving to Los Angeles in 2015. Aside from her legal practice, Daniela pursues policy change through research on migration and mental health. She believes in the power of narrative and story-making processes. When not reading, writing or checking out books from the LA Public Library, she loves photographing Los Angeles.
Maria Jose Villalvazo is an attorney licensed to practice law in California and Mexico. Born and raised in Mexico City, it was through her own immigrant experience that she became interested in the intricacies of United States immigration law and practice. She was drawn by the direct impact it has on everyday life of people.
Maria Jose obtained her first Law degree from Instituto Nacional Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM, 2012) and a Master of Laws from the University of Michigan in 2014. She obtained an Immigration Law Certificate from American University in September 2020 and was admitted to practice law in California in June 2021.
Before practicing Immigration Law in the United States, Maria Jose was a Constitutional Law attorney and legal researcher at the Mexican Supreme Court (Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nacion). For five years she was part of the legal team of now Chief Justice Arturo Zaldivar. Her work mostly focused on studying and drafting opinions on fundamental rights, children’s rights, and constitutional due process on criminal cases. The practice of immigration law has awarded her a new way to explore these topics in a completely different setting. Before that, she worked in legal studies with scholars from ITAM, and UNAM’s Instituto de Investigaciones Juridicas.
She is always willing to discuss and share her love for dogs, food, and sporting events.
Ana Karen Manjarrez is a paralegal and case manager working in immigration legal services since 2015. She was born and raised in Compton, California and later moved to the Bay Area where she worked in helping youth and their families navigate immigration, family law, and social service systems. Ana Karen’s past experience working with youth, families and incarcerated folks in immigration correlate with her passion to support in aiding people affected by systems of violence and oppression.
As an organizer, Ana Karen spent years resisting systems of harm by organizing with diverse communities. Her commitment is fueled by her deep ties to her community and her broader vision of liberation.
Prior to joining the Law Office of Daniela Hernandez Chong Cuy, Ana Karen’s work experience involved supporting both attorneys and families around Los Angeles and surrounding cities. When she is not working, you can find Ana Karen anywhere there is live music and vegan pastries.