Silvia Contreras Garcia

As a Senior Paralegal for the Immigrant Rights Youth Team at Centro Legal, Silvia works primarily with unaccompanied children seeking special immigrant juvenile status, asylum and other forms of relief from deportation before the Immigration Court and U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services. At Centro’s Youth Project, she works with unaccompanied minors seeking special immigrant juvenile status, asylum, and other forms of immigration relief in their removal defense cases before the Immigration Court and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Silvia also served as a legal assistant in the Tenants’ Rights Program.

Prior to joining Centro Legal, Silvia has significant experience at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, first as an administrative assistant to the attorney staff, and later as the sole paralegal in the Asylum Program, working with families, unaccompanied minors, and individuals seeking asylum. Her responsibilities included screening clients for asylum eligibility, translation of client documents, chaperoning clients to Immigration Court, filing at Immigration Court, and assisting in placing cases with pro bono attorneys.  

Silvia’s commitment to protecting immigrant communities and rights stems from her own experience as an immigrant from Mexico City. She is a certified bilingual administrative assistant and has participated in a multitude of trainings to increase her knowledge and capacity to serve Centro’s clients.