Ana Ortega Villegas

As Advocacy Strategist, Ana works to protect the rights of refugees and asylum seekers and ensure the United States commits to refugee protection at home and abroad. Prior to her role as Advocacy Strategist, Ana served as the Legal Services Coordinator for the Los Angeles Refugee Representation office where she provided direct legal support and services to asylum seekers in the Los Angeles area and to asylum seekers subjected to the Migrant Protection Protocols.

Before joining Human Rights First, Ana worked with the South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR) in Harlingen, Texas. There, she provided legal orientations, screenings, and case management for unaccompanied immigrant children. This occurred during an unprecedented influx of unaccompanied minors at the United States’ southern border, referred to as a “humanitarian crisis” by President Obama.

Ana earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Spanish at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas, and a master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Essex in Essex, England.