Born to a working-class immigrant family and raised in East Los Angeles, Alvaro M. Huerta knew he wanted to advocate for his community. Now Huerta is a civil rights lawyer at the Immigrant Defenders Law Center and one of the legal champions fighting against President Trump’s vicious immigration crackdown.
“Whether it was to ensure that vulnerable immigrant children have attorneys by their side in court or to prevent ICE agents from racially profiling Southern California residents and violently detaining them, I’ve run to court with our best legal arguments to hold our government accountable,” he says.
Huerta also represents Andry Hernández Romero, a fellow Out100 honoree who was disappeared by the Trump administration.
“Our individual rights depend on our collective action. We can’t let our own civil and constitutional rights be taken away by powerful interests that benefit from pitting us against each other. We need to stand up for each other,” Huerta says. “We must find ways to welcome the stranger, to recognize the inherent dignity and humanity of everyone, and to demand that everyone’s rights are protected.” @immdef_lawcenter
