SBCC Director Lilian Serrano, CA

Lilian Serrano is a third generation fronteriza, born and raised in the Tijuana-San Diego border region. She spent her teens in Oxnard, California, a small agricultural town in Ventura County. Lilian has over a decade of experience working in community education, human rights advocacy, and social justice work. She became civically active as a High School student in 2006, when a series of anti-immigrant proposals in the U.S. Congress sparked a national mobilization for immigrant rights. Her personal and professional expertise have allowed her to build and maintain strong ties in north San Diego County with community members impacted by immigration policies and farmworker families. Lilian earned her B.A. in Human Development and B.A. in Spanish from California State University San Marcos. Her professional experience includes serving as Co-Chair and Steering Committee member of the Southern Border Communities Coalition, Chair of the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium, Coordinator of Alianza Comunitaria and Co-Director of Universidad Popular.

SBCC Co-Chair Alba Jaramillo, AZ

Alba Jaramillo is an immigrant from Mexico, who grew up undocumented in the United States. Her experience as an immigrant living in the border influenced her in life’s work in fighting against oppression and defending immigrant rights. Alba holds a Juris Doctor from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University and Bachelor of Arts in theatre arts and anthropology from the University of Arizona. She is a local and national leader in the areas of immigration, human rights, and the arts. She is currently, leading a national network of 19 independent immigration legal service organizations as Co-Executive Director of the Immigration Law & Justice Network. She is the first migrant and woman of color to ever serve in this role.

Jennifer Johnson, D.C.

Jennifer Johnson is the Border Policy Advisor for Southern Border Communities Coalition and Church World Service.

Andrea Guerrero, CA

Andrea Guerrero serves as the Executive Director of Alliance San Diego, which serves as a community empowerment organization that builds coalitions to promote justice and social change.

Adriana Jasso, CA

Adriana Jasso is the Program Coordinator for the U.S.-Mexico Border Program of the American Friends Service Committee in San Diego.

Pedro Rios, CA

Pedro Rios serves as the director of the American Friends Service Committee’s U.S./Mexico Border Program and has been on staff with AFSC since 2003.

Erin Tsurumoto Grassi, CA

Erin serves as the Policy Director for Alliance San Diego.

Dulce Garcia, CA

Dulce is the Executive Director of Border Angels, and Chair of the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium.

Ian Seruelo, CA

Ian is a member of the Asia Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) and Labor Representative of the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium.

Javier Hernandez, CA

Javier Hernandez is an immigrant and queer leader fighting for immigrant rights in the Inland Empire (IE). Javier has been the Director of the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice (IC4IJ), a coalition of over 50 diverse organizations that convene to collectively advocate for immigrant justice in the Inland Empire.

Gabriela Rodriguez Clark, AZ

Gabriela is the Network Organizer of the Southern Arizona Groups.

Mark Adams, AZ

Mark Adams serves as the US coordinator for Frontera de Cristo, a Presbyterian Border Ministry centered in Agua Prieta, Mexico and Douglas, AZ.

Verlon Jose, AZ

Verlon Jose is the Vice-Chairman of the Tohono O’odham Nation, and President of PPEP, Inc. First American Resources and Services.

Nia Rucker, NM

Nia Rucker is the Policy Counsel and Regional Manager of the ACLU of New Mexico.

Johana Bencomo, NM

Johana Bencomo is the Executive Director for NM Comunidades en Accion y de Fe (CAFé), a faith-based grassroots organization working to empower immigrant and other marginalized communities through organizing so that we can shape and redefine policies and narratives that promote opportunity for all.

Viviana Arciniega, NM

Viviana is a community organizer with NM Comunidades en Accion y de Fe (CAFé).

Nayomi Valdez, NM

Nayomi is the Policy Director with ACLU of New Mexico.

Uriel Rosales, NM

Uriel Rosales was born at Estado De Mexico, Mexico. In 2007, being 9 years old, he and his family immigrated to the United States and arrived in Anthony, New Mexico. In 2010 he moved to Chaparral, New Mexico where he ended up graduating from high school. By being an eligible DACA recipient he was able to obtain a work permit in 2016. He then graduated from New Mexico State University in spring of 2020 with a bachelors in Electronics and Computing Engineering Technology. Uriel currently works as a Field organizer for the NM Dream Team in Las Cruces and southern communities of New Mexico. As an organizer, Uriel works to give the immigrant community the tools to live fearlessly in Southern New Mexico.

Perla Aguilar Alvarado, NM

Perla Aguilar Alvarado is a member of Catholic Charities of Southern New Mexico.

ChristinaMaria Patiño Houle, TX

ChristinaMaria Patiño Houle is a part of Voces Unidas and the Network Weaver for the Rio Grande Valley Equal Voice Network. The RGV EVN is a coalition of nine non-profits working to advance equity and immigrant rights in the region since 2009.

Norma Herrera, TX

Norma Herrera (she/her) is based in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and is an organizer with Voces Unidas, where she coordinates grassroots efforts to stop border militarization and end the criminalization of migration.

Roberto Lopez, TX

Roberto Lopez is a member of the Texas Civil Rights Project.

Bekah Hinojosa, TX

Bekah Hinojosa is a Gulf Coast Campaign Representative at the Sierra Club and a member of Another Gulf is Possible.

Josue Ramirez, TX

Josue is an author at Trucha RGV.

Ricky Garza, TX

Ricky Garza is a Staff Attorney at the Texas Civil Rights Project based in McAllen, TX in the Rio Grande Valley, where he focuses on advancing border justice by challenging border militarization, the criminalization of migration, and continued family separations.

Lorena Soto, TX

Lorena is a Field Coordinator for the ACLU of Texas Border Rights Center and a guest of the Southern Border Communities Coalition.

Stuart Inahuazo, Northern Border Coalition

Stuart is an immigrant rights organizer with Michigan United and a guest of the Southern Border Communities Coalition.

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SBCC Leadership