Diego works on the Federal Policy and has led NPNA’s efforts to tear down the “second wall” of citizenship application backlogs before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Before joining NPNA, Diego was the Legal Services Associate at the Dilley Pro Bono Project, formerly called the CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Project. There, he documented the unlawful practice of Customs and Border Protection officials denying access to asylum-seeking families at ports of entry along the border, prepared families in detention for credible and reasonable fear interviews, and drafted declarations and appeals to prevent their expedited removal. Previously, as the Robert L. Carter Fellow at The Opportunity Agenda, he conducted legal and policy research on the issues of fair housing, due process and human rights standards in immigration policies, and compliance with federal civil rights law. He has experience helping immigrants apply for asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and Temporary Protected Status. He received his J.D. from Rutgers School of Law-Newark and B.A. from the University of Maryland, College Park. Diego was born and raised in New York City.