The daughter and sister of Colombian immigrants, Ilana grew up in a bilingual household in Baltimore, Maryland. Like many immigrant families, Ilana was raised listening to stories of loved ones’ journeys to unfamiliar countries. Her upbringing inspired her to devote her career to assisting immigrants, especially those most vulnerable to deportation. After college, she worked as a case manager at Sanctuary for Families, serving immigrant survivors of human trafficking. This experience led Ilana to enroll at New York University School of Law where she participated in the NYU Immigrant Rights Clinic for two years; she also interned with the Bronx Defenders’ Immigration Practice. Ilana is placed at the American Friends Service Committee in Newark, NJ where she assists indigent immigrants detained in New Jersey facing deportation or seeking to be reunited with their family.
