Fresno Team

Andrea Swenson is a Acting Managing Director, Fresno at Kids in Need of Defense (KIND). Her work at KIND includes representing unaccompanied children detained in ORR programs and released into federal foster care. Prior to joining KIND, Andrea worked with Catholic Charities in Oakland representing unaccompanied children seeking asylum and special immigrant juvenile status, and at the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area where she represented clients in matters relating to family immigration, citizenship, and humanitarian visas. Andrea is a graduate of Boston College Law School and the University of Washington. She is a member of the California bar and she speaks Spanish.

Marcela joined KIND in May 2022, as Managing Attorney. Marcela has focused her legal practice on providing stability, security, and peace of mind for her clients. Prior to joining KIND, Marcela led the Children’s Program at Human Rights Initiative of North Texas, served as an Advisory Committee Member for the ABA Children’s Immigration Law Academy, and was a Leadership ISD Legislative Voices Fellow focusing on education advocacy in Texas. Throughout her career, Marcela has provided counsel on immigration, family, education, and opportunity creation. Her breadth of professional experience paired with her personal experience as the child of both an immigrant and a non-immigrant parent gives her a multifaceted lens that she applies to her work. Marcela graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies with concentrations in Business and Spanish, and later earned her Juris Doctor from Oklahoma City University School of Law. During law school, Marcela participated in an international program focused on Human Rights and Humanitarian law in The Hague, Netherlands, and Freiburg, Germany. Marcela is an avid reader of thriller novels, and enjoys baking, kayaking, and adventuring with her pets.

Bio coming soon!

Gloria Toledo Pulido is a Staff Attorney at the KIND office in Fresno, California. Gloria was born and raised in Mexico. She is fluent in English and Spanish. She received her Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM). Gloria completed an internship at the Mexican Consulate in Toronto, Canada. The summer before graduating from ITAM, Gloria volunteered at a non-profit organization in Cambodia. Gloria holds a Master’s degree in International Law from the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain. After receiving her Master’s degree, Gloria worked as a Protection Officer at the Mexican Consulate in Fresno, California. Gloria returned to Mexico after accepting the position of Deputy Director of the General Division for the Protection of Mexicans Living Abroad at the Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs. While working at the Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs, Gloria also earned a postgraduate certificate from El Colegio de La Frontera Norte (El COLEF) in international migration. Gloria’s interest in international and immigration law, combined with the desire to help others, served as motivation to attend law school with the goal of becoming an immigration attorney. Gloria received her Juris Doctor degree from San Joaquin College of Law in May of 2022. Gloria joined KIND in January of 2023, shortly after her admission to the California State Bar.

Miriam Y. Sanchez joined KIND's Fresno office as a Staff Attorney in February of 2022. Born and raised in the Central Valley, Miriam is the proud daughter of hard-working immigrant parents. Miriam knows the unique challenges the immigrant community faces and has focused her career on advocating for her community. Prior to joining KIND, she worked in the private sector as an immigration paralegal and as a staff attorney at a Fresno based non-profit immigration legal services provider. She has experience in handling cases with clients seeking asylum, cancellation of removal, family immigration, DACA, and naturalization. Miriam is a graduate of San Joaquin College of Law and California State University, Fresno. She is fluent in Spanish and is licensed to practice in California.

Rigoberto Lua is a Staff Attorney at KIND. He joined the KIND team in June 2022. In 2016, he graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a Bachelor of Arts in History and a minor in Chicanx studies. In 2020, Rigoberto graduated from Santa Clara University School of Law with a Juris Doctor. While in law school, Rigoberto gained valuable experience in criminal and immigration law through his work at the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office, the Katharine and George Alexander Community Law Center’s Immigration Clinic, student organized legal aid clinics, and volunteer work at an immigration detention center in Arizona. Prior to joining KIND, Rigoberto gained experience working as an Honors Post-bar Law Clerk at the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office, a Deputy District Attorney at the Monterey County District Attorney's Office and Contract Attorney at Gross & Klein LLP.

Bio coming soon!

Alejandra Tovar is the daughter of Mexican immigrant parents. She was raised in Mexico and attended the University of Saint Nicholas of Hidalgo, Faculty of Law). After becoming a lawyer, she worked for the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs in one of the Regional Offices, and, later, for a law firm. Then, Alejandra took a position with the Consulate General of Mexico in Sacramento, California. She led the Department of Civil Registry and Visas, Powers of Attorney, and Acquisition of Mexican Citizenship. She also worked with the Protection Department, where she assisted with cases involving victims of crimes and human trafficking (VAWA and U and T visas), restitution for minors under the Hague Convention, and Mexican nationals benefitting from Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). In 2013, Alejandra joined the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation (CRLAF) as an Immigrant and ACA Fellow. In 2014 she was promoted to the Assistant Director of the Sustainable Rural Communities Project (SRCP). She was also a fully accredited BIA representative, and she was the coordinator of the monthly free DACA and Naturalization workshops for low income farm working families. In addition, through CRLAF, Alejandra provided assistance to unaccompanied minors in the Central Valley. Prior to leaving CRLAF, Alejandra was named the Co-Director of SRCP. Alejandra received her B.A. in International Law.

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!