Asylum Sessions

Presenters

Paulina Olvera Canez, Executive Director, Espacio Migrante

Paulina is the founder and Executive Director of Espacio Migrante, a binational community organization based in Tijuana, which works with migrant communities to promote access to human rights, such as education and healthcare, provide comprehensive care and at the same time raise awareness in the community about the realities of migrants. Espacio Migrante has a shelter for migrant families, as well as a cultural and community center where migrants living in Tijuana can participate in community activities, educational programs, cultural events, and health and legal services.

Paulina has years of experience in culturally based community organizing and a degree in International Relations from the Autonomous University of Baja California, UABC. In 2019, she received the San Diego Fellowship, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Latin American Studies at the University of California, UCSD. Her research examines the experiences of Haitian and African migrants in Baja California, their access to rights, and institutional racism. She has worked as a Graduate Student Researcher in the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies, in the study “Children of Mexican Parents Deported from the United States: Policy, Administrative Process, and Family Experiences”. Paulina was awarded with UCSD’s Interdisciplinary Collaboratories Fellowship and she collaborated in the research project “Educational Continuity for Migrant Students at the U.S.-Mexican Border”, as part of the Rights and Mobilities Network.

Israel Rodríguez-Segura, Pastor, Primera Iglesia Bautista, Piedras Negras

Ray Schellinger, Global Consultant for Immigrants and Refugees

Ray has a BA from the University of Maryland, 1987, and an MDiv, Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1993. Since 1995 he has served as an International Ministries Global Servant in Nicaragua with rural community development and primary health care, and in Mexico with shelter and outreach to victims of domestic violence, and for displaced and deported peoples. Over the last 15 years he has developed and run an educational immersion program on the US/Mexican border for faith leaders on the stark realities of immigration. Since 2016 he have served as IM’s Global Consultant, supporting international partners and IM colleagues in their ministries with displaced persons.

Marielle Septien, Border Programs Manager, Border and Asylum Services, CWS

Marielle Septien is a first generation Mexican American from Texas. As a dual citizen, she grew up with the privilege of having the cross-border cultural understanding of Latin America, while having the safety and security of living in the United States. When narco-violence prevented her family from returning to Mexico, she realized she wanted to find solutions for people experiencing poverty and violence. She graduated with a master’s from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service and received a certificate in Refugees and Humanitarian Emergencies. While her master’s focused on international development, most of her work has focused on humanitarian emergencies. She worked with the Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations Office at USCIS, where she reviewed cases of unaccompanied minors from Central America and researched regional country conditions. She also worked with HIAS as a Program Officer for Latin American and the Caribbean, where she managed PRM programs for Venezuelan refugees across the region. Before joining CWS, she was a Child Protection Officer with UNICEF, based in Tijuana, Mexico. Marielle has also conducted field research on informal markets in Quito, was a Fulbright teaching fellow in Madrid, and interned with the Political and Economic Affairs Division of the US Embassy in Montevideo.