About the Program

Immigration Legal Services

If you are a student needing immigration legal services, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), can help. We have on-campus locations at colleges across California that serve students, faculty and staff to ensure their rights and protections. The CHIRLA immigration attorneys and Department of Justice representatives at these locations provide culturally competent, reliable expertise with sensitivity to the trauma our immigrant community regularly sustains.

WE ARE HERE TO HELP

  • Immigration consultations
  • DACA renewal
  • Naturalization
  • Family-based immigration
  • Know-your-rights sessions

CHIRLA Student Legal Services is a project of CHIRLA’s full-service legal department. At a time when such services are scarce, CHIRLA gives our community the high quality legal representation it deserves. CHIRLA is recognized by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and provides its services free or at low cost. Licensed attorneys supervise all legal staff, including accredited representatives and paralegals.

If you are not on campus but need an immigration legal consultation, please visit CHIRLA's headquarter offices on Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Saturdays, beginning at 8 a.m. Only the first 20 people in line are guaranteed to be seen.

Regular triage walkins are currently suspended due to COVID-19. Contact our Hotline for updates: 1.888.624.4752.

2533 W 3rd St., Suite 101
Los Angeles, CA 90057

"I did my DACA renewal online and it was a very smooth process. It felt like if I had done it in person, Sylvia helped me and she explained the process."
–Manuel J.

"The whole over all experience was good. Everything was great and we did have a lot of checkup calls to make sure that all the information was correct."
–Jesus V.

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Locations & Appointments

Access Legal Services

Schedule an appointment by clicking the button below.  For more information, email studentlegalservices@chirla.org.

CSU Campuses

Schedule an appointment by either clicking the box below or contacting the campus directly.

California State University, Chico
Dream Center
530-898-5818
dreamcenter@csuchico.edu

Humboldt State University
EOP Office
707-826-4781
Sharrise.Faleofa@humboldt.edu

California State University, Sacramento
Dream Resource Center
916-278-7241
drc@csus.edu

California State University, Sonoma
Dream Center
707-664-3541
rosa.salamanca@sonoma.edu

Staff

The CHIRLA Team

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Maritza R. Agundez, Esq.

Managing Attorney, Student Legal Services

Maritza graduated from Occidental College with a  double major in Politics and Urban and Environmental Policy. Maritza first began her career at CHIRLA as an intern for the community organizing department. She received her law degree from Southwestern Law School, where she  was part of the Latino Law Student Association board, a teacher assistant for the legal writing course and the property course. Maritza also received two CALI awards in property and legal professions, externed at Community Legal Services in Compton and was a federal judicial extern to the Honorable S. James Otero. She was also part of the Youth Parole Board clinic, where she represented offenders.

Her honors include the MABF scholarship, the MALDEF scholarship, and the Southwestern Public Interest Law Service Award. She has dedicated her entire career to public service. She is an active member of the State Bar of California, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

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Andres Guerra, Esq.

Supervising Staff Attorney

Andrés R. Guerra is a son of Guatemalan immigrants who graduated with honors from Princeton University and Fordham Law School, where he won a public interest award for his work representing immigrant victims of domestic violence. At Fordham, he served as the vice president of the Latin American Law Students Association, overseeing community organizing and fundraising in New York.

Andrés was in private immigration law practice for six years before joining CHIRLA. In 2015, he co-founded a non-profit organization that provides free  immigration legal services in the bay area. He is an active member of the State Bar of California, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Executive Office of Immigration Review, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

CHIRLA has been serving and protecting the immigrant community since 1986. We're a nonprofit organization that relies largely on your support to getting our work done. Please pledge your support today!