Thomas A. Saenz, JD - Illegal Immigration

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Thomas A. Saenz, JD Biography
Title:	President and General Counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF)
Position:	Not Clearly Pro or Con to the question "Should the Government Allow Immigrants Who Are Here Illegally to Become US Citizens?"
Reasoning:	"[O]ur immigration system is discriminatory. We have a system that does not provide legal representation, often even a hearing, for decisions that are life and death for some families. We have a system that allows law enforcement to make assumptions based on race or identity that is inconsistent with our constitutional values... [W]e must reintroduce equal protection values into our definition of family — of any kind — under our immigration law. This means enacting the Uniting All Families Act as part of the comprehensive immigration reform.” "Thomas Saenz Calls for Comprehensive and Inclusive Immigration Reform," www.creatingchange2010.wordpress.com, Feb. 5, 2010
Theoretical Expertise Ranking:	Organizations/VIPs/Others Individuals and organizations that do not fit into the other star categories.
Involvement and Affiliations:	President and General Counsel, Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), 2009-present Recipient, Hispanic Business Magazine’s 100 Top Influentials award, 2009 Member, Los Angeles County Board of Education Counsel, Mayor Villaraigosa (Los Angeles), 2005-2009 Member, Mayor Villaraigosa Executive team, 2005-2009 Recipient, National Hispanic Bar Association (HNBA)Ohtli Award, 2008 Recipient, Peace and Justice Award, Instituto de Educacion Popular del Sur de California, 2007 Recipient, Latino Law Students Association of Yale Law School Public Service Award, 2007 Recipient, Mexican American Bar Foundation Professional Achievement Award, 2006 Attorney, Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, 1993-2005 Former member, Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations Former Adjunct Lecturer, University of Southern California Law School Former law clerk, Honorable Harry L. Hupp, US District Court, Central District of California Former law clerk, Honorable Stephen Reinhardt, US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Education:	JD, Yale Law School BA, summa cum laude, Yale University
Contact Info:	Phone: 213-629-2512 Email: Online Contact Form Website: MALDEF biography
Other:	Served as MALDEF’s lead counsel in successfully challenging California’s Proposition 187

Thomas A. Saenz, JD Biography