Dr. Carolina Valdivia (Principal Investigator) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at UC Irvine. Her work examines the consequences of immigration policies and enforcement practices on members of undocumented and mixed-status families. Her research interests include immigration, sociology of law, race and ethnicity, sociology of education, and families. Read more about her work here.

Josefina Espino (Graduate Research Assistant) is a third-year Ph.D. student in Criminology, Law and Society at UC Irvine. Her research endeavors center around the multifaceted impacts of immigration enforcement policies on individuals, families, and communities. Specifically, she is dedicated to shedding light on the challenges faced by undocumented immigrants and those living at the intersection of immigration law and social justice. She hopes to contribute to the academic discourse on immigration law and society while working in parallel as an advocate for comprehensive immigration reform.

Evelyn Jimenez (Graduate Research Assistant) is a first-year Ph.D. student in Sociology at UC Irvine. She graduated from UC Irvine in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Political Science. Evelyn will focus her personal research on how current U.S. immigration policies are affecting single undocumented mothers and their child-rearing position. As a graduate student, she hopes to immerse herself in immigration-related research labs and absorb qualitative and quantitative research tactics that will assist in producing her future dissertation.

Angie Belen Monreal (Graduate Research Assistant) is a Sociology PhD student at UC Irvine. She earned her MA in Social Work from Columbia University and her undergraduate degree from UC Los Angeles. Currently, Angie’s research interest are incarceration, deportation, reentry, and immigration.

Izzy Patten (Graduate Research Assistant) is a PhD student in the Criminology, Law & Society department at UC Irvine. She has a B.A. in Sociology and Public Policy from Rice University and is a former middle/high school teacher and community organizer. Her research questions how universities and corporations collaborate to implement Title IX and is broadly interested in how law and organizations imagine and act upon sexual harm.

Danielle Puretz (Graduate Research Assistant) is a PhD student in Criminology, Law and Society at UC Irvine. She completed her MA in International Migration Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center and has a professional background working with humanitarian and immigration legal nonprofits. Her research focuses on local immigration policy and non-citizens in the US federal court system.

Daphne Ramirez (Undergraduate Research Assistant) is a fourth-year undergraduate at UC Irvine, pursuing a double major in Psychology B.S. and Criminology, Law and Society B.A. Daphne aspires to acquire her master’s and doctorate in forensic and clinical psychology. Daphne wishes to give back to her community by becoming one of the few psychologists who is Latina, bilingual, and from a low-income community. Daphne’s ultimate goal is to further prevent adverse child experiences (ACEs) by providing resources and the appropriate needs to children at the earliest age possible.

Maria Calva (Undergraduate Research Assistant) is a fourth year undergraduate student at UC Irvine, graduating in Spring with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a minor in Chicano/Latino Studies. Her aspirations are to work with underserved immigrant communities to help guide their access to education and basic needs.

Dahana Urrea (Undergraduate Research Assistant) is a fourth-year undergraduate at UC Irvine, pursuing a double major in Criminology, Law and Society & Chicano/Latino Studies. Dahana has the objective of pursuing law school after graduating and becoming an immigration lawyer. Becoming an immigration lawyer has been an utmost aspiration to help others in need from her own community and give them a voice of their own.

Diana Hernandez (Undergraduate Research Assistant) is a double major in Political Science and Social Policy and Public Service at the University of California, Irvine. She hopes to continue to pursue higher education by going to graduate school and eventually work with labor unions to support workers and the labor movement. She enjoys watching movies and going to the gym.

Gladys Guzman Guizar (Consultant) Gladys is a CSU San Marcos alum and received her Bachelor’s degrees in Sociology and in Criminology and Justice Studies. Coming from a mixed-status family and her involvement with spaces designed to support undocumented and mixed-status students were a catalyst that led her to embark on her own journey of discovering allyship and advocacy, focusing on connecting different immigrant communities with resources beyond legal support. Gladys aspires to continue her education in hopes of strengthening her support for immigrant justice.

Eva D. León (Graphic Designer/Digital Artist) received a User Experience (UX) Design Certificate from UCSD’s extension program an Associate’s degree in Arts in Social and Behavioral Science from Palomar College. Eva seeks to apply her knowledge in graphic design and digital art to convey contemporary subjects and themes from diverse communities through visually engaging pieces on both traditional and digital mediums.

Learn about our previous members here.