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Leslie E. Velez

Head of External Relations, UNHCR Regional Office

Head of External Relations, UNHCR Regional Office

Prior to joining UNHCR in May 2012, Leslie E. Vélez, JD, Masters in International Human Rights Law, was the director of Access to Justice at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS).  There Leslie oversaw LIRS’ legal and social service programs which provide services to refugees, asylum-seekers, torture survivors, and other immigrants in, and released from, detention.  Prior to joining LIRS in 2007, Leslie was in private practice in El Paso, Texas, and Washington, DC, and dedicated extensive time to pro bono representation of individuals in immigration proceedings.  She has been an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and served on two AILA national committees along with serving as a board member for multiple immigration organizations.

She received her J.D. from The Catholic University of America in 2002, her B.A. from the University of Texas, and recently graduated with a Masters in International Human Rights Law at the University of Oxford (Kellogg College, Oxford, England).