L-R: Anjelica Mantikas, Diana M. Ricaurte, and Denise Feliciano
February 21, 2018
Denise Feliciano '18, Anjelica Mantikas '18, and Diana M. Ricaurte '18 have been named Immigrant Justice Corps (IJC) Justice Fellows. When they begin their two-year fellowships this fall, they will carry forward the Law School’s proud legacy of public service and its Vincentian mission of serving those in need.
As the nation’s first and only immigration legal fellowship program, IJC aims to expand access to counsel by increasing the quantity of immigration lawyers and the quality of the immigration bar. The idea for the organization started with Hon. Robert Katzmann, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, who witnessed first hand a crisis in legal representation for poor immigrants.
Each year, IJC awards post-graduate fellowships—with full salaries and benefits—to 25 recent law school graduates and law clerks from around the country who demonstrate a commitment to providing legal services for low income people and for immigrants. IJC trains the fellows and pairs them with non-profit legal services providers and community based organizations.
On the job, the fellows handle a range of immigration matters, including removal defense, complex affirmative asylum applications, and other forms of relief available to juveniles and victims of crime, domestic violence, or human trafficking.
Receiving this fellowship is a great honor,” says Feliciano. “I’m Puerto Rican and grew up in a diverse community filled with hardworking immigrants. I’ve always had a passion for defending immigrant rights, and I’ve looked for ways to give back to my community and to be a voice for people who feel they don’t have one.”
Feliciano’s IJC fellowship takes her to the Safe Passage Project, a nonprofit that addresses the unmet legal needs of indigent immigrant youth living in New York. The organization works with volunteer attorneys to provide representation for unaccompanied minors in immigration court.
For Anjelica Mantikas, being an IJC fellow is a dream come true. She looks forward to her work with Make the Road New Jersey, a community based organization that builds the power of immigrant and working class communities to achieve dignity and respect through legal and support services, civic engagement, transformative education, and policy innovation.
“I’ll be joining a community of other attorneys and others who are dedicated to helping each other grow into strong, compassionate immigrant rights advocates,” she says. “This fellowship will be the base on which I build a long-term career of helping low income and indigent immigrants in this country and abroad.”
Like Feliciano and Mantikas, Ricaurte expects a rewarding two years ahead with IJC. Her fellowship placement is with CARECEN-NY (Central American Refugee Center), a nonprofit organization that empowers immigrant communities on Long Island through legal services and advocacy. CARECEN offer a variety of legal services, including initial and renewal requests for temporary protected status and deferred action for childhood arrivals, green card renewals, naturalization, adjustment of status, family petitions, unlawful presence waivers, and special immigrant juvenile status.
“I left Colombia and moved to the United States when I was 11,” she shares. “I decided to go to St. John’s Law because I knew that, with the knowledge and credentials I gained there, I’d be able to help individuals and families who aren’t as fortunate as I am. As an immigrant, I experienced some of the uncertainties they face in seeking the right to remain in this country, and I can’t imagine going through that process without effective legal assistance. Being able to bridge the justice gap and provide the legal representation that every individual and every family deserves fulfills my idea of serving and uplifting my community.”