Hello friend! My name is Kica Matos, and I recently joined NILC as part of the executive leadership team. Before joining NILC, I held roles in government, philanthropy, and as an advocate at the state and national levels. Now, I am deeply committed to bringing my years of experience to help advance immigrants’ rights alongside the team at NILC.

You’ve probably already seen a few emails from me, but I’m reaching out to officially introduce myself and share some of the critical progress we’ve made so far in 2023. I am honored to join an organization that, for decades, has fought for the rights of low-income immigrants, who make up the fabric of our communities nationwide, yet continue to confront injustices and inequities.

Together, we are a part of a powerful, unwavering movement dedicated to advancing immigrant justice — from advocating for pro-immigrant policies in the halls of Congress and in the states to fighting unjust laws in the courts.

Some examples of our collective work this year so far includes:

• We secured a historic settlement for immigrant workers: Our class-action lawsuit provided over $1 million to workers detained in a 2018 immigration raid, in which federal agents illegally targeted Latinx workers for detention, excessive force, and false arrest at a meat processing plant in Tennessee.

Photo Credit: Alyssa Pointer, Southern Poverty Law Center

• We successfully advocated for new policy guidance from DHS that will help make workplaces better for all: Since DHS announced new guidance allowing immigrant workers involved in labor disputes to apply for deferred action, NILC has been working closely with the Biden administration to ensure it is implemented fairly, equitably, and stays true to its commitment to support worker empowerment.


• We continued tracking Texas’ harmful practice of judge shopping: If you'll recall, we filed an amicus brief showing how Texas is handpicking its preferred judges to advance its political agenda. As politicians continue to challenge lawful policies and our fundamental rights in court, like abortion access and DACA, we are monitoring how judge shopping will undoubtedly influence the outcomes.

There are so many critical issues that NILC is working on in the coming months that I am excited to help lead, whether working with our legal team in the courts, our policy and advocacy teams at all levels of government, or our allies and supporters like you, friend.

Be on the lookout for more emails from me as we continue the hard and crucial work of fighting for justice for all immigrants.

More soon!

Kica Matos
Executive Vice President, Programs & Strategy
National Immigration Law Center