The home of UCLA School of Law’s robust and renowned programming in immigration law and policy has a new name: the UCLA Miñana Family Center for Immigration Law and Policy.

The renaming marks a significant step for the six-year-old center of scholarship and advocacy, which was founded in 2020 as the Center for Immigration Law and Policy and has quickly risen to become a national leader in the field.

Alicia Miñana ’87 and Rob Lovelace’s foundational support enabled UCLA Law to launch the center, and this renaming reflects their continued commitment. Their contributions now total more than $6.5 million. An eminent philanthropist and engaged alumna, Miñana serves on the law school’s board of advisors, where she is a current co-chair. She is also the immediate past chair of the board of the UCLA Foundation Board, and she is a member of UCLA’s Second Century Council.

A hub for immigration scholarship and advocacy, the UCLA Miñana Family Center for Immigration Law and Policy generates innovative ideas at the intersection of immigration scholarship and practice; serves as a hub for transforming those ideas into meaningful changes in immigration policy at the local, state, and national level; and empowers students with unique opportunities for experiential learning through work with academics, practitioners, policymakers, and activists.

“Through its scholarship, engagement with lawmakers, and advocacy for immigrant rights, the Miñana Family Center for Immigration Law and Policy plays a vital role in shaping immigration policy and directly supporting individuals navigating our legal system,” says Miñana. “As the child of immigrants, I have seen firsthand the resilience, sacrifice, and determination it takes to build a life in a new country. My parents endured countless hardships, yet they never lost faith in the power of education and the promise of democracy as pathways to opportunity and belonging. Those values shaped who I am, and they make this work deeply personal. I am so proud to see my family’s name linked to efforts that advance fairness, strengthen our legal system, and expand opportunity for so many—especially those whose journeys mirror my own family’s story.”

Following its renaming, the center will continue to support faculty who perform cutting-edge work in immigration law and policy; bolster initiatives for student engagement including the Immigrant Family Legal Clinic, the Immigrants’ Rights Policy Clinic, and service-learning trips for UCLA Law students to border regions; engage in strategic litigation; publish briefings and reports on immigration policy; and host conferences and symposia featuring top national scholars and other leading voices.

“Alicia and Rob have been with us from the start, and the center’s new name signals their commitment to generate a new vision for immigration law and policy in the classroom, in the courtroom, and toward a new bipartisan consensus in the political arena,” said Hiroshi Motomura, the Susan Westerberg Prager Distinguished Professor of Law and faculty co-director of the Miñana Family Center for Immigration Law and Policy.