Iliana's Biography

I was born and raised in El Paso, and lived in almost every part of the city while growing up. My family moved around a lot, and I had attended a total of 13 different public schools by the time I graduated from high school. My family moved for the same reasons that many families move: to find better employment opportunities, because of my parents’ divorce, to be closer to grandparents, etc. I never saw our many moves as obstacles, but instead as opportunities to meet new people and overcome new challenges. I believe that is why I am now as an adult able to adapt easily to new situations and confront new challenges head first. After high school, I received a full scholarship that allowed me to attend and graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, where I received my Bachelors Degree in Government. I then went on to graduate from the University of Texas School of Law, where I was awarded the Baron and Budd Presidential Scholarship in Public Interest Law and my passion for non-profit work was born. I have now been an attorney for over twenty three years and try to do as much as I can to give back to my community each and every day. Twenty years ago, I married my husband Eddie who has lived in the Mission Valley for five generations and has a long history of public service to the Mission Valley. Eddie and I are proud to be raising our two daughters,

Abigail and Rebekah, in the historic and culturally diverse Mission Valley. 

Prior to starting my own law practice in 2012, I served as the Executive Director/Managing Attorney of Diocesan Migrant & Refugee Services (“DMRS”), a ministry of the Catholic Diocese of El Paso and the largest provider of free and low-cost legal services to immigrants and refugees in El Paso, West Texas and Southern New Mexico. Under my leadership, DMRS received local and national recognition, including the El Paso Bar Association’s Pro Bono Award, the Bishop of El Paso’s Option for the Poor Award, and the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild Daniel Levy Award. I was the Chair of the El Paso County Democratic Party for two terms, after having been elected in 2016 and again in 2018. As Chair of the local Democratic Party, my focus was on increasing voter turn-out, increasing voter registration, and ensuring that Democratic candidates were elected at the local, state and national level. I am proud to say that in 2018, a Democrat won every County and State office on the local ballot, and that for the first time ever, El Paso County is 100% Democratic.

I have always believed that public service is very important, and very much enjoy donating my time to serve my community. I have served as a member of the Board of Managers for University Medical Center, and as a member of the board of directors of the Ysleta Education Foundation, whose mission is to provide scholarships to graduating seniors from the Ysleta Independent School District. I have also been a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and served on the board of directors of the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild. I also served on the State Bar of Texas Committee on Laws Relating to Immigration and Nationality as well as the State Bar of Texas Grievance Committee. I also previously served as a member of the board of directors of the Border Network for Human Rights, the Interfaith Dialogue Institute of the Southwest Advisory Committee and as a member of the Ethics Review Commission for the City of El Paso.