Adela is the Program Director of the Immigration Court Helpdesk (ICH) and Family Group Legal Orientation Program (FGLOP). Prior to joining Acacia, Adela served as the director of the American Bar Association’s Immigration Justice Project, where she managed the Legal Orientation Program and National Qualified Representative Program and was involved in the launch of ICH and FGLOP in San Diego. Adela has practiced immigration law with an emphasis on removal defense in both the public interest and private sector, having worked with Kraus Law Corporation, Platt Immigration Law, Amezola Legal Group, APC, and Casa Cornelia Law Center, where she served as the Pro Bono Program Director and Asylum Program Director. Adela clerked with the U.S. State Department at the U.S. Embassy in Montevideo, Uruguay, as well as the Organization of American States – Office of International Law.

Before law school, Adela served as a case manager at Santa Barbara Domestic Violence Solutions. Adela was named a 2020 top #Latino20 leader by NBC News, is a One Justice Executive Fellow, and serves on the Board of Directors of ACLU San Diego and Imperial Counties. She received her B.A. in global studies and Spanish literature from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and her J.D. from California Western School of Law. Adela is based in San Diego, CA.