Our Washington, DC Team

Crystal Fleming is the Managing Attorney at KIND’s Washington D.C. office. Prior to joining KIND in April 2022, Ms. Fleming served as a Supervising Attorney in the Immigrant Protection Unit at the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), where she oversaw a team representing unaccompanied children before New York Immigration Court, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and the New York State Family Courts. She has also represented clients of all ages in a variety of immigration matters, including removal defense litigation, VAWA, U-Visa, Cancelation of Removal, asylum applications, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status applications. At NYLAG, Crystal was a member of the People of Color in Leadership Affinity Group where she worked to create a sense of community for NYLAG staff who identify as people of color, multi-racial, and ethnic minorities, and to advocate on issues of racial justice and equity. Ms. Fleming has been interviewed by the New York Times and Aljazeera on unaccompanied children and the current state of asylum laws. Ms. Fleming received her JD from Capital University Law School and her BS from George Mason University. She is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia, Virginia, New York, and New Jersey. Ms. Fleming is Salvadorian American and is fluent in Spanish.

Lauren Graham Sullivan is a Senior Attorney serving the District of Columbia’s immigrant community. Prior to joining KIND, Lauren dedicated her legal career to representing immigrants in a variety of contexts including legal matters before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Immigration Courts, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), Consulates/Embassies, and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). Her practice includes advocacy before the Boston and Miami Immigration Courts as well as complicated affirmative family reunification and naturalization cases before USCIS. In addition to her direct-representation experience with South Coastal Counties Legal Services, Inc., Catholic Charities, South Florida Justice for our Neighbors, and the Fonte Immigration Firm, Lauren was a Project Attorney for the Catholic Legal Immigration Network’s BIA Pro Bono project and National Children’s Project, giving her a unique understanding of the training, resources, and mentorship challenges facing pro bono attorneys representing vulnerable populations. Lauren grew up in Falls Church, Virginia and earned her Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy/World Religions from James Madison University. She completed her Juris Doctorate at Roger Williams University School of Law as a Public Interest Fellow and is licensed to practice law in Massachusetts. She is a proud resident of the District of Columbia with her Coast Guard JAG spouse and her three lovely little ladies.

Prior to joining KIND, Jessalyn worked in Boston as a court-appointed attorney for children and parents involved in child protection proceedings, students facing school offender and truancy petitions, and adults in mental health guardianship and commitment cases. Through her casework, Jessalyn was able to familiarize herself with reporting procedures for allegations of child abuse and neglect, services focused on reunification and permanency, and the difficulties faced by families and children in obtaining supports. Jessalyn was selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star for the Boston area in 2018. Jessalyn is active in other professional organizations, participating in various capacities with the Washington Council of Lawyers and in advocacy roles pertaining to the welfare of undocumented residents in Washington D.C. She has previously written Practice Point pieces for the American Bar Association’s Children’s Rights Litigation Committee. Jessalyn is a DC-area native and earned her JD from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston and her BA from Pennsylvania State University.

Prior to coming to KIND, Rafael was an associate at a private law firm where he represented both unaccompanied immigrant children and adults fleeing persecution in Central America. Rafael grew up in Caracas, Venezuela, where he received his Bachelor of Laws from Monteavila University in 2014. During that year, he was part of the Student Movement in Caracas that protested against the Maduro regime. He came to the United States to pursue an LLM with a concentration in Constitutional Law at William & Mary Law School, from which he graduated with honors, before transferring to and graduating from the JD program, Rafael speaks English and Spanish and is licensed to practice law in New York and the District of Columbia.

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Ambar Martin (she/her) is a Senior Paralegal at KIND's Washington, D.C. office. Ambar holds a bachelor's degree in International Affairs from Florida State University (FSU). During her time at FSU, Ambar was an active student organizer working closely with organizations such as Amnesty International USA. Prior to joining KIND, Ambar was the Project END and Immigration Paralegal at Ayuda where she focused on humanitarian immigration cases and immigration legal services fraud.

Bio coming soon.

Andy Morales supports the Legal Services team at KIND. She graduated summa cum laude from California State University, Fresno with degrees in Political Science and Latin American Studies. Prior to joining KIND, Andy had many experiences working with children including volunteering for Camp Kesem, a nonprofit organization that supports kids through and beyond their parent’s cancer, as well as assistant teaching in Verona, Italy. Andy also held multiple legislative internships in the federal government as well as the local government of Fresno. These opportunities exposed Andy to the work of KIND and led her to pursue a career with this organization. As an immigrant from Juarez, Mexico, she has always shown a passion for immigration reform and advancing the rights of those seeking refuge. Andy held an internship and part-time position in KIND prior to joining full-time as a paralegal for the ORR Emergency Intake Shelter in El Paso in May of 2021. She hopes to pursue both a Law and Masters of Public Policy degree to continue her advocacy.

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Marissa Ornelas is a Social Service Coordinator for the Washington DC office starting in September 2022. Marissa graduated from Saint Louis University where she majored in Sociology with a concentration in Urbanization, Immigration, and Demography. She has been working with the immigrant community for four years. Before joining KIND, Marissa was a Home Study and Post Release Services caseworker with Church World Service, where she coordinated referrals for unaccompanied children in the DMV area. Marissa was also a legal assistant at Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, where she provided legal services to detained children in the DMV area. In addition, she has worked with the Dilley Pro Bono Project where she assisted detained immigrant mothers and their children with credible fear interviews. She holds a graduate certificate from Oxford University in Forced Migration.

Janeysali Reyes joined KIND in June 2023 as Social Services Coordinator in the Washington DC office. Raised in Montgomery County, Maryland, Janeysali has been involved with nonprofit organizations throughout her career, specifically focusing on providing Youth and Family programming in Title I schools. She brings valuable experience working with newly arrived immigrants and has provided mental health services through case management as well as group counseling to those facing vulnerability. Janeysali is deeply committed to supporting families and actively works towards eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health in communities and clients of Latin American backgrounds. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and a Master of Social Work (MSW) from the University of Maryland School of Social Work.