Our Special Programs Team

Lauren Keenan supports the Legal Programs Department at KIND, which she joined in October 2021. She graduated from New York University with a degree in Latin American Studies & Human Rights from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study in 2008, and earned her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law in 2013. Lauren has been an advocate for immigrants throughout her career, with a particular focus on survivors of human trafficking and other violent crime. Most recently, she was the Supervising Attorney for the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center’s anti-trafficking project. Prior to that role, Lauren spent several years as a staff attorney with NMILC representing survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and those seeking asylum in the United States. Before beginning law school, she worked as an intensive case manager for immigrant survivors of human trafficking in New York City, and her experience working with directly with clients and learning more about the challenges facing the immigrant community in the United States inspired her to apply to law school and become an immigration attorney. Lauren is licensed to practice law in New Mexico and is engaged in the federal practice of immigration law.

Kayleen Hartman is the Managing Director, Family Separation & National at KIND. She comes to the role having previously served as the Director of the Removal Defense Project at the Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic at Loyola Law School. Kayleen's previous roles at immigration non-profits include her work as the Pro Bono Coordinator for the Children’s Representation Project at Immigrant Defenders Law Center, and as a staff attorney at Ayuda, a Washington D.C. immigrants’ rights organization. In addition to immigration work, she has served as policy counsel for human trafficking issues at Shared Hope International, and been a fellow at Georgetown's Human Rights Institute, where she worked on school-to-prison pipeline issues. Kayleen earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center with a Certificate in Refugee and Humanitarian Emergencies. In 2011, she received Georgetown’s Bettina Prukmayer Award for Human Rights. Kayleen received her B.A. from Davidson College. , Kayleen is licensed to practice law in California and is engaged in the federal practice of immigration law.”

A seasoned immigration rights attorney focused on the needs and rights of immigrant and refugee children, Christie Turner-Herbas currently serves as KIND’s Senior Advisor for Global Legal Representation, Assistance and Litigation. In this role, she oversees KIND’s family unity work and informs and contributes to the development of KIND’s legal services strategy globally. A subject matter expert on family separation and the U.S.-Mexico border, Christie’s work includes maintaining public dialogue on family unity and advocating for systemic change to achieve safe pathways and lasting solutions for immigrant children and families. Christie joined KIND in August, 2013 as Managing Attorney (local executive) of our Washington, DC/Northern Virginia field office. In 2017, she was named Deputy Director, Legal Services, overseeing KIND’s east coast field offices. In 2018, she transitioned to a role leading special initiatives, including KIND’s family separation response and our involvement in the Ms. L v. ICE litigation. She also launched KIND’s programming in Mexico and at the U.S.-Mexico border. Prior to joining KIND, Christie was a Supervising Attorney at Catholic Charities’ Hogar Immigrant Services, where she represented low-income immigrants in deportation cases, family-based immigration matters, and applications for humanitarian relief. Previously, Christie was an education and employment policy fellow at the National Women’s Law Center. She started her legal career at the Federal Trade Commission, supporting consumer protection investigations and federal litigation before returning to school to obtain her law degree. Christie earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations from Tufts University in 2002 and her law degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 2008. While in law school, Christie worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Catholic Charities, and American Gateways, and participated in the Immigration Law Clinic and Transnational Worker Rights Clinic.

Cielo Fortin-Camacho is a proud immigrant committed to serving vulnerable populations. Prior to joining KIND’s border team in Juarez, Mexico, Cielo spent 3 years in Baltimore, Maryland providing client-centered, trauma-informed, culturally competent legal services and representation to unaccompanied minor children in asylum cases, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, T visas, and U visas as well as removal proceedings before the Immigration Court. She also provided technical assistance and mentoring to pro bono partners likewise representing unaccompanied minor children. Cielo has written for numerous publications, including various chapters of the number one cited global money laundering and anti-terrorism treatise. Additionally, Cielo’s articles and comprehensive research on diversity within the legal profession has won awards and served as training material at state bar conferences. Cielo is a graduate of Texas A&M School of Law, where she represented the law school as a Scribe inductee with The American Society of Legal Writers, served as the president of the Immigration Law Initiative and International Law Society, and was the recipient of several public interest grants. Cielo is also a graduate of Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, and Dalian University of Foreign Languages in Dalian, China. Cielo currently serves as the vice-president of Benny’s Books, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit she co-founded to promote literacy among Latino children and children from low-income families. Cielo speaks French, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and English. Cielo is licensed to practice law in Texas and is engaged in the federal practice of immigration law.

Bio coming soon!

Rachel Bennion supports the Family Separation and Special Programs team at KIND. She joined KIND in April 2021. Prior to joining KIND, Rachel helped manage the immigration pro bono program and represented clients seeking immigration relief at Catholic Charities Immigration Legal Services in Washington, D.C. Rachel holds a Bachelor of Arts in English, a Master of Public Administration, and a J.D. from Brigham Young University. Her prior experiences include serving as a community organizer for a year as an AmeriCorps VISTA, completing clerkships with the National Immigration Law Center and Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, and representing unaccompanied minors in Asylum and Special Immigrant Juvenile cases at Catholic Charities San Francisco. She is fluent in Spanish and is a member of the California Bar. Rachel is licensed to practice law in California and is engaged in the federal practice of immigration law.

Rodolfo is a passionate about social justice and advancing the rights of the immigrant community, children, and other vulnerable populations. He joined KIND Baltimore in 2017 as a Gallogly Family Foundation Public Interest Fellow and transitioned to the Family Separation Team after completing his fellowship. He is a graduate of American University—Washington College of Law (JD) and Yale University (BA). While in law school, Rodolfo served as a student attorney for the Immigrant Justice Clinic and spent the majority of his time interning and volunteering at public interest organizations, including Whitman-Walker Health Legal Services, ABA Center on Children and the Law, CAIR Coalition, and South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR). Prior to law school, Rodolfo worked for five years an elementary school teacher, primarily teaching at Title I schools in Houston and Miami. Rodolfo is licensed to practice law in Maryland and Texas and is engaged in the federal practice of immigration law.

Joshua Rodriguez supports the International Program at KIND. As a first generation, queer, Afro-Latino he personally understands the importance of everyone having the opportunity to be heard. His passion for defending the human rights of migrants is rooted in his family's migration experience from Ecuador to the United States. His professional career has included analyzing potential cases for clients and designating critical strategies for each case as well as appearing before various immigration courts throughout the United States for Master Calendar Hearings and Individual Hearings. His case load has included family petitions, deportation defense, asylum, bond hearings, and assistance with consular processing. As an attorney licensed to practice in the state of Alabama, he was able to represent minors for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status cases. Joshua also co-hosted legal segments on iHeartMedia, discussing the civil rights of individuals. He received his Juris Doctorate from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law where he was awarded the Dean scholarship throughout his attendance. He was the president of the Hispanic Law Student Association, and a member on the Trial Advocacy team. Joshua received his bachelor's degree in Political Science Pre-Law at Saint Peter's University in his hometown Jersey City, NJ.

Bio coming soon!

Coming soon.

Evelyn Rivera is a Temporary Paralegal with KIND's International Programs. She brings a personal and professional passion for immigration advocacy. Born in Medellin, Colombia, and raised in Central Florida, her experiences in a mixed-status family fueled her commitment to this cause. Evelyn's advocacy journey started in 2010 with the Hope CommUnity Center's Sin Fronteras Youth Group, leading her to United We Dream (UWD). At UWD, she significantly contributed to the successful Right to Dream Campaign and the enactment of DACA. Her skills further developed at Catholic Charities of Central Florida, where she became an accredited representative, aiding legal permanent residents in becoming U.S. citizens through the USCIS Citizenship and Integration Grant Program. Recently, Evelyn worked as a legal assistant at the Orlando Center for Justice, supporting their legal team. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida and is keen on continuously enhancing her legal knowledge in immigration law.

Georgina Ramos supports the Social Services Department at KIND in Tijuana, Mexico, since June, 2021. Has been working with Non Profits for more than 17 years. Right out of High School, she lived one year as a volunteer at a Women’s Shelter near Mexico City. She coordinated the Information and Communication Technologies Department of Servicio Jesuita a Migrantes Mexico for almost 11 years, where she specialized in Networking in the Central and North American Region to provide services to migrants and their families and refer them as required; design and implemmentation of Psycho-educational Programs in Veracruz, Puebla and Mexico City; of Data Bases to register Human Rights Violations and Missing Migrants; accompany students and volunteers from Mexican and US Universities, among others. Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Library Science and has studies from the Master’s Program in Education from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Mexico City and she is honored of putting her knowledge and experience into service of vulnerable Migrant Children.