Veronica Serrato

Cinco de mayo award presentation, Veronica Serrato

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]

Education and early life

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]

Career

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]

Awards and honors

• Ohtli Award, Mexican government, 2018[1][10]
• Silver Shingle Award, Boston University School of Law, 2017[11]
• Guest of Congresswoman Katherine Clark, State of the Union Address, 2017[8][12]
• Sarah B. Ignatius Award for Excellence in Law, PAIR Project, Boston, June 2020
• Spirit of Boston award, Mayor Martin Walsh, November 2019
• Massachusetts Association of Hispanic Attorneys, 2019 Organization of the Year Award
• Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Top Women in the Law Award, October 2014
• Boston University School of Law Public Interest Attorney Award, April 13, 2014

  

  Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Veronica Serrato, and Congresswoman Katherine Clark

• Victor Garo Public Service Award, Boston University School of Law, 2015[13]
• Community Hero, ABCD[14]

References

1. "Member Notes". bostonbar.org. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
2. "uMass Amherst-grad-helps-immigrants-chart-course-citizenship". Lowell Sun. 2018-06-04. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
3. "Paving the Way to Citizenship". Boston University. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
4. "Citizenship applications soar in Mass. - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
5. "Through these doors, a path to citizenship". Lowell Sun. 2019-05-04. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
6. "Should Boston allow non-citizens with legal status to vote? | Boston.com". www.boston.com. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
7. "Veronica Serrato | Project Citizenship". 2021-01-12. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
8. "Clark to Bring Project Citizenship Director as Guest to Trump Address". Congresswoman Katherine Clark. 2017-02-27. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
9. "Ropes & Gray and Project Citizenship Sue USCIS to Protect Access to Citizenship for Low-Income Immigrants". www.ropesgray.com. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
10. "Verónica Serrato Honored with the Ohtli Award". Project Citizenship. 2018-05-07. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
11. "Immigrants' Rights & Human Trafficking Mentorship Program Breakfast | School of Law". www.bu.edu. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
12. Buchanan, Larry; Parlapiano, Alicia (2017-02-28). "In Their Choice of Guests, Trump and Congressional Democrats Sent Dueling Messages". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
13. "Pro Bono Kickoff Honors Veronica Serrato ('88) | School of Law". www.bu.edu. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
14. "Veronica Serrato". ABCD Community Heroes Celebration. Retrieved 2020-01-25.