Lorena Rivas
When it comes to immigration law issues in Oklahoma or elsewhere, few people are more qualified to speak on the topic than Lorena Rivas.
The decorated Tulsa immigration attorney weighed in on the controversial issue of immigration law in a recent feature story by TulsaPeople Magazine titled “One at a Time.”
Written by Connie Cronley, the March 2020 piece chronicled those working on the front lines of immigration law in Tulsa and the challenges they encounter on a day-to-day basis.
Rivas is nationally known for her prowess in immigration law and was prominently spotlighted in the article. She had this to say in regards to the current climate of immigration law and her front-line accounts of immigration law:
“It’s really hard to be an immigration attorney now, especially with deportation cases,” Rivas says. “There are very few happy endings.” Sometimes success means winning the client more time in this country to prepare to leave.”
The investigative piece also highlighted how approximately 80 percent of Rivas’ clients are Spanish speaking and hail from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Cuba, Venezuela and other South American countries.
One of Rivas’ clients the article focused on is a 35-year old mother of three – named “Marianna” in piece – who entered the United States 15 years ago as an asylum seeker.
Though all three of her children are U.S. citizens, Marianna was transported to an Oklahoma ICE detention center and “scheduled for deportation” after being involved in a South Tulsa traffic accident when authorities learned she did not have a driver’s license.
Although Rivas is attempting to reopen the case and Marianna has been released to take care of her children while her case is pending, the situation casts light on the frustration Rivas regularly faces as an in-demand immigration attorney.
“ICE is always present but more active now,” Rivas says. “This is a low point in American history.” The immigration system is broken, she says, “but taking hardline stances create more problems.”
The constant barrage of stress Rivas encounters led Cronley to ask Rivas why she continues to work in immigration law?
“I ask myself that, especially recently,” Rivas said. “But if I were to quit, there would be one less person on the front line. The unrepresented people in immigration court have a higher deportation rate. I would feel bad not helping them. I consider (myself) a public defender.”
An Accomplished Tulsa Immigration Law Attorney Second to None
Lorena Rivas’ accolades and accomplishments as an immigration lawyer are well documented. The decorated Oklahoma immigration attorney has been named a Super Lawyers® Rising Star each of the past two years and was recognized as the 2018 Fern Holland Award Winner – an honor annually given to a lawyer who advocates for human rights or the empowerment of women.
Considered by many to be an immigration law authority figure, Rivas has traveled to Washington D.C. multiple times to meet with legislators to discuss immigration law reform and improved policies.
Rivas was additionally recognized in 2016 by the Tulsa Business & Legal News as being one of the city’s most accomplished professional women with their annual Women of Distinction Awards.
Contact Lorena Rivas today to set up a personal consultation with an elite Tulsa immigration attorney.