Lighthouse Immigrant Advocates (LIA) is excited to announce that three new staff members joined the team in 2021 to support the growing community demand for immigration legal services. Together with the existing staff, they are working to bring stability to West Michigan families and communities through legal services, education, and advocacy. Thanks to support from funders and partners, LIA hired a second bilingual Staff Attorney, a Development and Communications Officer, and an Administrative Assistant. These hires, along with the promotion of Vidal Sequeira Cortez to Legal Assistant, strengthen LIA’s capacity to take on more cases and serve even more families in the years to come in support of the immigrant and refugee communities. 

“The growth that LIA has experienced in the past year speaks to the hard work and dedication of our team, as well as to the critical need for high-quality, low-cost immigration services in West Michigan,” said Eva Alexander, Executive Director at Lighthouse Immigrant Advocates. 

“This is an opportunity to work with a terrific team. We serve clients from more than 45 countries, and we’re able to deliver nearly 99% case approval. That is really something!” said David Aleman Morales, Staff Attorney at LIA, recent graduate of Tulane University School of Law in New Orleans, Louisiana.

“I believe that LIA serves an essential role, and I have long admired their holistic approach to serving our community. I am especially awed by the intentional building in of advocacy into the organization’s mission - as true systemic change can only happen when we bring everyone on board with the changes we seek,” says David Lee, Development and Communications Officer at LIA.

Iliana Ponce is also very excited to be part of the LIA team; her dedication to LIA’s mission is fueled by her own personal experiences with family and friends in the community. When calling LIA, one can expect to hear her friendly voice as she assists LIA’s clients.  To find out more about each team member visit LIA’s website at http://lia-michigan.org/about/team/staff/