Our Team
The Center is made up of passionate individuals and legal experts working to further and protect the civil, constitutional, and human rights of immigrants and provide support and training to legal service providers. Select any portrait to learn more or contact the members of our legal department.
Board of Directors
Chanchanit (Chancee) Martorell
Founder & Executive Director of the Thai Community Development Center which advocates for victims of human trafficking, affordable housing, and more. Created and taught the first Thai-American Experience course offered as part of UCLA’s Asian-American Studies and taught “Human Trafficking and Modern-day Slavery” at UCLA Department of World Arts and Cultures.
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Jim Tom Haynes, Esq.
Experienced in a variety of areas of immigration law, including employment visas, litigation, and appellate practices. Expert in immigration removal matters and handling complex nationality matters, including regaining US citizenship after renunciation.
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Marc L. Van Der Hout
The founding member of Van Der Hout, LLP. He is a California State Bar Certified Specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law. Founded in 1980, Van Der Hout, LLP, is a nationally recognized, full-service immigration law firm representing individuals, families, and companies in the San Francisco Bay Area and throughout California.
Carlos Holguin, Esq.
General Counsel at the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law. ​A long-standing advocate and lawyer representing thousands of detained unaccompanied minors in federal custody.
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William Tan, Esq.
Co-founder of Tan & Sakiyama. Outside counsel to the Los Angeles City Attorney and the City of Los Angeles’ Community Redevelopment Agency. Advisor to two former Mayors of Los Angeles, and two former Los Angeles City Attorneys. 35 years of experience in handling immigration, naturalization matters and the litigation of immigration-related matters.
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Dr. Reynaldo Macias
Faculty member and founding Chair of the UCLA César E. Chávez Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies and the César E. Chávez Center for Interdisciplinary Instruction. Regular consultant to state policy-making bodies. Co-founder of Aztlán—International Journal of Chicano Studies Research, and of the National Association of Chicano Social Science.
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Laura Hernandez
Executive Director of Freedom For Immigrants, where she directs the development, vision, and mission of FFI to abolish the systems of oppression that have long been harming our communities and replace them with care and meaningful support.
Our Founder
Since founding the Center in 1980, Peter Schey relentlessly challenged discriminatory policies and advocated for vulnerable communities both in the U.S. and abroad. Under his leadership, the Center achieved substantial changes in the U.S. immigration system, including a landmark Supreme Court decision allowing millions of immigrant children to attend public schools. He also won significant legal battles ensuring arrested immigrants were informed of their rights, and that hundreds of thousands of detained immigrant children were provided with humane conditions and prompt reunification with their families.
