LOS ANGELES, CA – The University of California Los Angeles Law's Center for Immigration Law and Policy (CILP) today announced that Gabriela Domenzain, a seasoned communications professional with over twenty years of experience in immigration advocacy, media, and politics, is joining the organization to serve as its inaugural Communications Director.

Gabriela joins CILP's Faculty Co-directors Professor Hiroshi Motomura, Susan Westerberg Prager Distinguished Professor of Law, and Ahilan Arulanantham, Professor from Practice and one of the nation's most respected immigrants' rights lawyers, and MacArthur Fellow.

"We're thrilled to welcome Gabriela to the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA Law," said CILP Faculty Co-Director Hiroshi Motomura. "Gabriela has worked for over twenty years on cutting-edge immigrant rights issues in the media, legislatures, political campaigns, and non-profit organizations. She will help immigrants tell their stories and allow them to illustrate the innovative ideas that CILP seeks to promote in academic circles, the policy realm, and beyond."

"We started the Center for Immigration Law and Policy not only to generate innovative ideas that will advance immigration policy, but to amplify those ideas to inform the national conversation around immigrants," said Ahilan Arulanantham, CILP Faculty Co-Director. "We are certain that Gabriela's deep experience at the intersection of immigrant rights, media, and politics will help us maximize our impact. We are delighted to welcome her to our team."

"I've had the privilege of working with leading immigrant rights activists, journalists, and politicians. Hiroshi and Ahilan are no exception," said Gabriela Domenzain. "It's an honor to join them in building the Center for Immigration Law and Policy."

Gabriela's parents are Mexican immigrants who came to the United States to advance their careers and secure a better future for their children. Forever grateful for their sacrifices, she has dedicated her professional life to help others do the same. Gabriela's portfolio includes work with the 2012 Obama reelection campaign, the 2016 O'Malley presidential campaign, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the National Council of La Raza (now UnidosUS.) Gabriela was also the founding producer of Al Punto on the Univision National Network, working directly with Univision anchor Jorge Ramos. Most recently, she served as Senior Advisor at Brooklyn Defender Services, where she worked on a range of communications issues arising from the pandemic, including its effects on detained immigrants.

Founded in 2020, the Center for Immigration Law and Policy (CILP) at the UCLA School of Law expands the law school's role as a national leader in immigration law and policy, generating innovative ideas at the intersection of immigration scholarship and practice and serving as a hub for transforming those ideas into meaningful changes in immigration policy. 

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