A former teacher, Pete saw the added barriers that his immigrant students faced to come to school each day. Their courage inspired him to become an immigration attorney, and to envision a future in which all community members can live without fear of deportation.

Pete joined Pangea in September 2018. Prior to Pangea, Pete worked on complex immigration cases as a legal intern for the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, East Bay Community Law Center, and the Executive Office for Immigration Review/San Francisco Immigration Court. At East Bay Community Law Center, Pete also helped design and implement the center’s first Post-Conviction Relief Clinic for Immigrants.

During law school, Pete led the California Asylum Representation Clinic, where he worked with immigrant clients applying for affirmative asylum and special immigrant juvenile status. Pete was also on the team of Berkeley students that built the Immigrant Liberation Bond Fund, which helps detained immigrants pay their bond so they can be reunited with their families while they pursue their removal cases.

Pete holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Amherst College and an M.A. in History from the University of Texas at Austin. A recipient of the Thelton E. Henderson Center Public Interest and Social Justice Certificate, Pete earned his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (’18).

Pete speaks English and Spanish. An Equal Justice Works Fellow, his work is sponsored by Hewlett Packard Enterprise and the City of San Jose, California.