Seattle Team

Jessica Castellanos is the Managing Director of Kids in Need of Defense's (KIND) Seattle office. Jessica oversees an exceptional team of advocates in advancing and defending the due process rights of children and youth navigating our complex immigration system. Jessica has worked as a removal defense attorney in detained and non-detained contexts and was previously a pro bono coordinating attorney in KIND’s Los Angeles office. Prior to joining KIND, Jessica was a Staff Attorney and Clinical Supervisor at the East Bay Community Law Center where she had multiple roles, including serving as the lead attorney for UC Berkeley’s Undocumented Student Program, clinical legal educator for UC Berkeley law students, and removal defense attorney. Jessica began practicing immigration law as a Staff Attorney with the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project in Arizona. Over the past decade, Jessica has represented unaccompanied children, adjudicated complex and highly sensitive fear-based protection claims as an asylum officer, mentored pro bono attorneys, provided immigration legal assistance to detained individuals in some of the most remote settings, and managed high-volume caseloads on the detained and non-detained dockets. Jessica received her B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley and her J.D. from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings), where she co-founded Hastings Students for Immigrants’ Rights. She is licensed to practice law in California and Washington.

Kelsey is a Managing Attorney, Seattle - Detained at KIND’s Seattle office where she works with detained youth in Washington. Kelsey joined KIND in September 2018. She received her J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law. During law school, she interned with the Northwest Justice Project Farmworker Justice program, participated in the International Human Rights Clinic, and worked for a private immigration attorney. Prior to law school, Kelsey worked in the U.S. refugee admissions program with the International Rescue Committee in Maryland and the Resettlement Support Center in Kenya.

Yohana supports the Seattle office as Managing Attorney, Seattle - Released of Released programs. Yohana joined KIND in 2017, after initially volunteering with KIND’s Newark office. In 2021, Yohana also supported the work of KIND’s European Initiative as a consultant. Before joining KIND, Yohana’s advocacy led her to work with such organizations as the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, the Political Asylum/Immigration Representation (PAIR) Project of Boston, and Centro Legal de la Raza of Oakland. Yohana received her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law and holds an M.A. in Francophone Studies from UCLA and a B.A. in French from the University of Kentucky. She is fluent in Spanish and French.

Bio coming soon

Bio coming soon!

Taylor Faranda is a Senior Attorney in KIND's Seattle office working with youth detained in Washington. Taylor joined KIND in August 2019 and represented youth released from ORR custody and living in Washington for over three years before transitioning to her current role with the detained programs team. She graduated with her J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2018 and received her B.A. in Cross-Cultural Studies and Spanish from Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington in 2012. During law school, Taylor participated in various organizations providing legal aid to immigrants and refugees and she was a clinical student in her law school's Asylum and Human Rights Clinic and DACA and Immigration Detention Clinic. After graduating from law school, Taylor completed a clerkship with the Honorable Steven D. Ecker on the Connecticut Supreme Court. She is licensed to practice law in Washington.

Vanessa Brown is an El Paso, Texas native who has worked with vulnerable youth, adults and crime victims since 2016. Vanessa began her career intaking and representing children entering alone through the southern border. In 2018, Vanessa was recognized by the Department of Justice as a Qualified Representative and was appointed to represent adults deemed “incompetent” to represent themselves in removal proceedings. In 2019, Vanessa joined the Department of Justice as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas. Vanessa prosecuted human trafficking, document fraud, firearms and major drug trafficking cases. As an AUSA, Vanessa sought justice for unaccompanied minor victims who were trafficked into the United States and worked with victims of gun and cartel violence. In one of the nation’s first federal pre-trial drug diversion programs, “Adelante”, Vanessa screened all participants and worked with defense counsel to help youthful offenders avoid major drug trafficking convictions. After departing the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2021, Vanessa served as a Texas Assistant General in the Consumer Protection Division where she investigated scams targeting immigrants. Vanessa sought restitution for immigrants targeted by “notarios,” non-licensed individuals claiming to provide immigration representation. Vanessa also worked to secure judgments for victims of a major pyramid scheme targeting African American families. Vanessa is a senior attorney on the detained team and joined the KIND office in May 2023.

Alex Baron joined KIND's Seattle office in September 2024 as a Senior Attorney, Released. He previously worked as a Senior Staff Attorney for CAIR-Washington, where he represented asylum applicants and handled civil rights cases, many of them involving First Amendment issues. Prior to that, Alex ran a solo immigration practice with a focus on removal defense, asylum, and family-based petitions. As a University of Washington law student, Alex participated in the school's immigration law clinic, where he assisted in representing detained clients. He also interned with several organizations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and conducted research on transboundary water rights, before receiving his J.D. in 2013.

Bio coming soon!

Wendy S. Martinez Hurtado joined the Legal Programs Team at KIND’s Seattle Office in August of 2022. Wendy is originally from Sinaloa, Mexico and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of seven. Wendy is driven by her intersectional identities as an undocumented Mexican woman and daughter of immigrant workers. For the past decade, she has advocated for and alongside immigrant communities in Washington state primarily serving undocumented youth and their families. Wendy received her J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle, WA. During law school, Wendy co-founded Student Advocates for Immigrant Justice, was a student attorney in the Immigration Clinic, interned at Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), and worked as a judicial extern for Chief Justice González of the Washington State Supreme Court. Additionally, she served as a 2020 Peggy Browning Fellow at Fair Work Center, a 2021 Laurel Rubin Farmworker Justice Fellow at Columbia Legal Services, and a student liaison in the Minority & Justice Commission. Wendy is bilingual in Spanish and English.

Andrea (She/Her) joined the Detained Team at KIND's Seattle Office in September 2023. She holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Washington School of Law. During law school, Andrea served as a Laurel Rubin Justice Fellow for the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) in their Granger office. She also worked as a student attorney at UW's Immigration Clinic, where she provided support to families through the Family Reunification Parole process. Andrea is fluent in Spanish. In her free time, Andrea enjoys skiing, solving puzzles, and crocheting.

Soledad Mendoza supports the supports the Legal Programs Team at KIND. She joined the KIND team August 2023. Prior to joining KIND, she received her J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law and her A.B. from Princeton University. During law school, Soledad co-founded and led Student Advocates for Immigrant Justice, was a clinical student in her law school’s Race and Justice Clinic, and volunteered and interned with various organizations providing legal aid to immigrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers. Soledad’s interest in the law stems from personal experiences witnessing family and community members struggle to navigate complicated and racialized legal systems. Soledad is bilingual in Spanish and English.

Selina received her bachelor's degree from Washington State University. After graduating, she worked as a Senior Paralegal in the greater Seattle area. She has worked primarily in the immigration, family law and personal injury fields. She has years of experience coordinating and facilitating consultations and in her prior role, she was responsible for acting as the main point of contact and liaison between attorneys, clients and other office business partners. She is well versed in crisis management, conflict-resolutions and communicating with others cross racially and culturally despite language and other miscellaneous barriers. Selina comes from a Latin American background and immigrated to the U.S. as a child where she was able to gain first hand experience of the complex immigration system.

Alexandra joined KIND June of 2021 as a Paralegal for KIND’s Seattle office. She graduated from Western Washington University in Law, Diversity and Justice from Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies. Her studies emphasized Latin American Studies, Human Services and Policy. Alex graduated as the Outstanding Graduate in Law, Diversity and Justice for the 2020-2021 academic year. Her academic work has largely revolved around due process violations within the United States immigration system. Alex is bilingual in Spanish and English.

Carla joined KIND in June of 2023 as Paralegal for the released team in KIND’s Seattle office. Carla was born and raised in Northeastern Colorado; her parents originally migrated from Mexico. She graduated in 2021 from the University of Redlands with a degree in Public Policy with an emphasis in Civil Rights and Immigration and minored in Latin American Studies and Race and Ethnic Studies. Prior to joining KIND, she worked with Catholic Charities of Oregon as a Bilingual Legal Assistant for the Rural Program and served victims and survivors of Domestic Violence in all rural parts of Oregon. Carla is passionate about serving the most vulnerable and marginalized communities and strives to continue being an advocate for migrants.

Holly joined Kids in Need of Defense in January of 2017. Previously Holly served as case manager and paralegal for various immigration legal service providers in Texas and Kentucky. Holly studied social work and Spanish at the University of Kentucky.

Bio coming soon!

Kimberly Manson joined the KIND Seattle office as a Senior Social Services in August of 2021. For seven years previously, Kimberly provided intensive, clinical case management to Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URMs) in the Seattle area, helping to develop best practices with unaccompanied youth and the people who serve them. Kimberly holds a Master's in Social Work (MSW) from the University of Washington, and a Bachelor's Degree in International Studies & Spanish from Seattle University. As the grandchild of Portuguese immigrants, Kimberly is grateful to serve immigrant youth and their families. She is proud to work for KIND and promote justice for all migrant communities of the United States.

Jenna joined the Seattle KIND office as a Senior Social Services Coordinator in 2020. Prior, Jenna worked as a Bilingual Community Advocate in King County, providing intensive case management to Spanish-speaking youth and young adult survivors of human trafficking. In 2014, Jenna graduated from Western Washington University with a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistic Sciences. She then moved to Colombia where she taught English to low-income young adults pursuing technical careers. In the Seattle area, Jenna has worked as an Instructor's Assistant in English language learner classrooms, and volunteered extensively in legal and citizenship clinics for immigrant communities.

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!!!

Bio coming soon!