About the MIBF
The MIBF incorporated as a non-profit-organization in Chicago, Illinois in July 2021 and has an all-volunteer board of directors from across Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. The MIBF also has a network of Ambassadors who help to share stories about immigration detention and engage in fundraising to support the revolving fund.
The Fund currently fundraises with the National Bail Fund Network (“NBFN”), a 501c3 organization, which is a network of dozens of bond funds across the country. The Coalition is hugely thankful for the NBFN’s mentorship over the past many months!
Background: The Midwest Immigration Bond Fund started as a coalition effort that grew out of conversations in the Chicago area among organizers and attorneys in 2017-2019 to start a revolving fund like many of those that have started around the United States in recent years.
The inaugural Midwest Immigration Bond Fund Coalition came together in May 2020 made up of: Michael Aguhar (IL), Hannah Cartwright (IN), Michelle Garcia (IL), Jasiel Lopez (IL), Karla Lopez-Owens (IN), Aissa Olivarez (WI), Guadalupe Perez (IL), Arianna Salgado (IL), Fred Tsao (IL), Claudia Valenzuela (IL), and Sara Zaleta (IL). Watch the video where Hannah, shares more about how the coalition launched the seed fund amidst the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in October 2020 and the first few bonds we paid in winter 2021.
PRASHASTI BHATNAGAR (Los Angeles, California)
Prashasti (she/her) is a public health attorney admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia. Currently, she is a Law/Public Health Post Doctoral Scholar at the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, and a Ph.D. student and Eugene V. Cota-Robles Fellow at UCLA. She also serves as a Volunteer Attorney with the Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project, working in the Legal Orientation Program, to support detained immigrants in California. Born and raised in New Delhi, India, Prashasti’s work is focused on exploring and implementing community-led interventions rooted in health justice, carceral & border abolition, and liberation. Previously, she launched #ImmigrationAND, a justice-oriented program exploring interdisciplinary issues within immigration through an interactive syllabus, reflection questions, action items, and a scholar series with community organizers, academics, and lawyers. Prashasti holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center; M.P.H. from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, as a Sommer Scholar, with a certificate in Health Disparities and Health Inequalities; and B.S. in Sociology, summa cum laude from University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
KAYLA BLEDSOE (Indianapolis, Indiana), MIBF Treasurer
Kayla (she/they) is an organizer and advocate in Indianapolis, IN. She is an alum of the 2021 cohort of the National Anne Braden Anti-Racist Organizer Training Program, which developed her organizing skills while she served as a lead organizer for the Communities Not Cages Coalition, working to stop the expansion of an ICE detention center in Brazil, IN. The program also introduced her to the power of fundraising for building movements, giving her the opportunity to lead a fundraising campaign for the grassroots undocumented organization, Cosecha Indiana. Kayla has her Bachelor's in Sociology & Spanish and is an alum of Public Allies Indianapolis. She is also on the board of the Indiana Undocumented Youth Alliance and serves as the Treasurer for MIBF.
IAN FALLON (Chicago, Illinois)
Ian (he/him) is an associate attorney at Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP. After starting his practice representing plaintiffs in civil rights litigation, Ian now works as a litigation attorney in the areas of commercial litigation, medical malpractice, and general trial practice. Ian represents immigration clients pro bono and has successfully argued bond and deferred action petitions. Ian earned his Bachelors of Arts degree from Creighton University in Omaha, NE and his Juris Doctorate from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in Chicago, Illinois. Before law school, Ian worked as a community organizer and legislative advocate in Nebraska around immigration issues pertaining to licensing benefits for DACA recipients.
CARLINA GREEN (Chicago, Illinois)
Carlina (she/her) is a DOJ Accredited Representative at World Relief Chicagoland. She legally represents families and survivors of violence in their immigration processes before USCIS. Prior to joining World Relief, Carlina represented immigrant clients at Catholic Charities of San Francisco and assisted on the cases of folks in ICE detention in her role at Mariposa Legal in Indianapolis. She also volunteers as a penpal with Letters for Liberation, where she previously coordinated the working group supporting penpals in ICE detention. Carlina received her B.A. in Latin American Studies at Davidson College in North Carolina.
MARGARET HASS (Lafayette, Indiana)
Margaret (she/her) is president of the community organization Greater Lafayette Immigrant Allies (“GILA”). With GLIA, Margaret has advocated for more humane immigration policy and organized against the expansion of immigration detention in the Midwest. She is also a volunteer accredited representative at Lafayette Urban Ministry, assisting clients with family-based and humanitarian petitions. In her day job, she is a language teacher and interculturalist working with international students and scholars at Purdue University. Prior to all these things, she lived and studied in multiple countries, earning a MA from the University of Tübingen in Germany and a joint doctorate from the University of Bergamo in Italy and Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India. She is proud to have a big family that includes both immigrants and immigration advocates.
JOE HORAN (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Joe (he/him) is a Staff Accountant for Simon Properties in Indianapolis. Joe has had a long and varied work career including Not for Profit Accounting, Utility Accounting, Healthcare field of Accounting, and various capacities from monthly operations to budgeting. Joe has been involved in some of the INDYCAN activities a few years ago and wanted to play an active role. Joe earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Marian University and has a Masters in Business from the University of Indianapolis.
JESSE JOHNSON, JR (Chicago, Illinois), MIBF Board Co-Vice President
Jesse (he/him/él) has a background in immigration advocacy, pro bono management, and immigrant legal services and he has worked on immigration issues since 2012. Jesse’s experience includes his work as the Volunteer Engagement Coordinator for the Immigration Justice Campaign at the American Immigration Council. In this role, he recruited, engaged, and retained volunteers, with the principal goal of placing them with volunteer opportunities nationwide. Prior to joining the Council, Jesse was the Crim-Imm Pro Bono Project Coordinator at Mariposa Legal and the Pro Bono Coordinator and DOJ fully accredited representative at the National Immigrant Justice Center’s Adult Detention Project. He also worked as a paralegal supervisor at a Chicago based immigration law firm focusing on a variety of immigrant legal services. Jesse received his B.A. in Latin American Studies and B.A. in English at Davidson College in North Carolina.
MELANIE MINUCHE (Chicago, Illinois)
Melanie (she/her) works at the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO). Her work focuses on bridging the gap between policy and community education/organizing around zero-emission vehicles and transportation. Melanie has worked with community organizers across the country examining the intersection of climate change and migration, and supporting organizational efforts to support and mobilize migrant communities experiencing climate vulnerability in the U.S. Melanie holds a Bachelor’s in Social Work from Loyola University of Chicago. Her personal and professional experiences have deepened her commitment to accessibility, equity and justice across different movement spaces.
ALEJANDRA OLIVA (Chicago, Illinois), MIBF Secretary
Alejandra (she/her) is an immigration advocate and writer living in Chicago. Previously, she served as communications coordinator at the National Immigrant Justice Center. She received a masters of theology from Harvard Divinity School, and her B.A. in sociology and creative writing from Columbia University. Her book, Rivermouth, on translation, immigration, and the stories we tell, is out now from Astra House Books.
GUADALUPE PEREZ (Chicago, Illinois), MIBF President
Guadalupe (she/hers/ella) is an attorney with the Immigration Division at the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defenders. She represents individuals in detained removal proceedings before the Chicago Immigration Court and provides Padilla advisals to public defenders. Previously she was a supervising attorney with the National Immigrant Justice Center’s Detention Project where she represented individuals in removal proceedings and managed the Legal Orientation Program (“LOP”) which was located at McHenry County Jail in Illinois and the Kenosha County Detention Center in Wisconsin. Lupe also served as the co-chair of the AILA Chicago Chapter’s Legal Services for Detained Individuals Committee. Lupe graduated from DePaul University College of Law and is licensed in Illinois. Prior to law school, Lupe was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Jordan. Lupe received her BA from Macalester College in Minnesota.
RAF RODRIGUEZ (Chicago, Illinois)
Raf (he/him) is a paralegal within the National Immigrant Justice Center’s Immigrant Legal Defense Project. Raf graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2023, where he double majored in Latin American Studies and Environmental Analysis. As an undergraduate, Raf interned at the Environmental Law Institute in Washington, DC and was a Student Consultant at Washington University’s Environmental Law Clinic. Upon graduating, Raf worked at New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) as the sole paralegal on the Public Housing Justice Project, providing eviction defense to residents of NYCHA, North America’s largest public housing authority. Raf is the youngest son of two Mexican immigrants turned US citizens.
BRITTNEY AUGUSTINA ROSE (Santa Barbara, California)
Brittney (she/her) is a Ph.D. student at UC Santa Barbara with research interests at the intersection of state violence, law, and militaries/militarism, informed by her familial and community histories of navigating interlocking systems of domination. Previously, she worked with the local San Diego chapter of the national Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) association for three years to spread awareness about the structural violence experienced by youth in the foster care system, and fundraise to support trained CASA advocates to work on behalf of foster youth in court proceedings, life in foster care, and navigating primary and secondary education. Brittney holds a B.A. in Sociology with focus on Law and Society from UC San Diego and a M.A. in Sociology from Vanderbilt University.
KARINA SUAREZ (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Karina (she/her) currently works as the Digital Engagement and Fundraising Specialist at Oxfam America, where she raises awareness and funds for economic justice, gender equality, and climate action. Before her role at Oxfam, she supported financial freedom for immigrants nationwide at Mission Asset Fund and championed universal legal representation for those detained by ICE in Pennsylvania while working at the Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center. Karina holds a B.S. in Nonprofit Management and an M.P.A. in International Development and Sustainability from Indiana University Bloomington.
LEE VANDERLINDEN (Chicago, Illinois), MIBF Co-Vice President
Lee (they/them) is a managing attorney for the National Immigrant Justice Center’s LGBT Immigrant Rights Initiative. At NIJC, they represent LGBTQ immigrants pursuing a variety of immigration benefits, primarily asylum. Lee graduated with a degree in politics from Princeton University and obtained their J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston.
MICHELLE VELAZQUEZ (Chicago, Illinois)
Michelle (they/she) is a recent graduate from the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, specializing in data analytics. With a background in community organizing, advocacy, and immigrant legal services, they have worked extensively on immigration issues since 2016. Michelle’s immigration experience includes assisting asylum, trafficking, and gendered-violence cases at the National Immigrant Justice Center, where they also coordinated the LGBT Human Rights Initiative. Later, at the Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project, they led organizing and outreach efforts and designed public awareness campaigns for immigrant farmworker families in Illinois. Most recently, they worked for the Chicago Community Bond Fund, supporting the organization’s revolving bail fund, coordinating its intake hotline system, and also facilitated the bond posting process in Cook County for their team.