Veronica Serrato is an American immigration lawyer. She is a recipient of the Ohtli Award, the highest award given by the Mexican government to people serving Mexicans abroad. [1]
Veronica Serrato is an American immigration lawyer. She is a recipient of the Ohtli Award, the highest award given by the Mexican government to people serving Mexicans abroad. [1]
Serrato was born in Chicago; [2] her parents immigrated to the US from Moroleon, Guanajuato, Mexico. [3] [4] Serrato attended Harvard University for her undergraduate degree (A.B. in 1984) and Boston University School of Law for her J.D, graduating in 1988. [3] [4] She was the first in her family to attend college. [3]
Serrato was the founding executive director of Project Citizenship, a non-profit focused on helping legal permanent residents (green card holders) become American citizens. [5] [6] [7] Under her leadership, 8,300 immigrants achieved US citizenship. According to Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-MA), it is the largest citizenship provider in New England. [8] They are "unapologetically pro-immigrant." [8]
In 2019, Project Citizenship and Ropes and Gray sued USCIS for their plan to remove fee waivers for the naturalization process. [9]
Prior to Project Citizenship, Serrato served as a Senior Attorney at Volunteer Lawyers Project. She served as a Clinical Instructor and later, Domestic Violence Specialist, at the Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School, where she handled domestic violence cases. [8]
