In Their Stories I Found My Purpose: A reflection on Las Americas

By Ashley Vallecillo, Loretto Justice Fellow

Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center (LAIAC) is more than a legal organization; it is a lifeline for individuals and families navigating one of the most challenging systems in our country. They provide free and low-cost legal services to immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers.

LAIAC represents justice with compassion. It stands for the belief that every person, no matter their origin or language spoken, deserves dignity, protection and a fair chance at life. It is where law and humanity meet, where dedicated attorneys, paralegals, community members, volunteers, social workers, fight cases and a system meant to silence vulnerable voices.

Each week, I witness firsthand resilience, fear and hope of individuals who have crossed borders seeking safety, dignity and opportunity. It has challenged me ethically, emotionally, physically, mentally and socially. Yet, I have persevered, because the greatest lesson I have learned is that advocacy is not about saving people — it’s about standing beside them.

True advocacy means listening deeply, validating pain and walking with others in their struggle, not ahead of them. I have used my privilege and education not as shields, but as tools to open doors for those shut out of systems of justice.

Justice requires patience, humility and a heart willing to break again and again and still show up. There is a great need to dismantle unjust systems.

Working at Las Americas has shown me that the immigration system is not “broken” by accident, but it was built this way.

Detention centers are a reflection of a system that prioritizes punishment over protection. I have questioned how a nation built by immigrants can allow such suffering at its borders.

Each intake, each case, each story reminds me why I chose social work: to fight for your right to speak up, to listen and to help create a world where no one’s worth is determined by a piece of paper or a line on a map.