Alexa Muñoz-Gomez is a sophomore majoring in Latina/Latino studies and political science with minors in Spanish and business administration. During summer 2025, she worked at Centro de Informacion as a legal intern. Read her blog post below to learn more about her experience.
This summer, I had the opportunity to work at Centro de Informacion in Elgin, IL as a legal intern. Centro de Informacion is a nonprofit organization that provides a wide range of bilingual services, such as immigration & naturalization assistance, information and applications for public benefits, emergency food distribution and pantry services, and parent training/youth & family programs to the Fox Valley communities of Kane County and other nearby counties of Mchenry, Cook, and DuPage. Established in 1972, Centro de Informacion aims to serve and empower low-income Latino and immigrant communities, and each year they assist and positively impact the lives of thousands of individuals. In recent months, Centro de Informacion has been aiding families who have been affected by separations, detentions, deportations, and raids carried out by ICE and the Department of Homeland Security.
As a legal intern at Centro de Informacion, I worked with the Immigration team, which is composed of both attorneys and Department of Justice Accredited Representatives. The immigration services offered include help with citizenship, DACA, TPS, asylum, family-based petitions, work authorization, VAWA visas, and more. These services were provided in partnership with programs and organizations like, New Americans Initiative (NAI) and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), Illinois Access to Justice (A2J), and Immigrant Legal Support Program (ILSP). A major part of my responsibilities included filling out N-400 applications, which is an application for naturalization in which a foreign citizen becomes a U.S. Citizen. I also helped fix and prepare applications for asylum, employment authorization, and Temporary Protected Status (TPS). While filling out these applications, I was also responsible for translating original documents, such as birth certificates and marriage licenses, from Spanish to English. Another large part of my responsibilities was communicating with clients about their pending cases and conveying valuable information to them. Whether it was in person or through the phone, I was able to feel the uncertainty and trepidation that many of my clients faced. Feeling their relief and gratitude as I was able to help them and reassure them was the most rewarding feeling. I am a proud daughter of hardworking, Mexican immigrant parents, who have inspired me to do the work I do. One of the greatest and most memorable opportunities I got at Centro de Informacion was being able to accompany clients to their immigration hearings in court. Throughout my childhood, I had to watch my father leave for his immigration hearings and court dates, not knowing if he would ever come back from them. Now, I have the privilege of standing on the other side and being able to offer support and compassion to individuals who experience this same fear.
During my time at Centro de Informacion, I gained a new world of skills and experience. For starters, I learned how applications are filled out and sent to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). I also learned the processes for several types of immigration services, and the proper requisites needed for each of them. I expanded my administrative, analytical, and organizational skills. But I think the biggest skills I was able to build on were compassion and empathy. I was able to see firsthand how the dehumanizing and unjust laws made by the Trump administration and other administrations throughout the history of the United States have devasted and severely impacted Hispanic, Latinx, and immigrant communities. In today’s world, the reality is that politicians and lawmakers lack these basic skills of compassion and empathy. Behind each file is a human with a story that has been shaped by sacrifice, struggle, resilience, hope, and courage.
While I no longer will be physically present at Centro de Informacion, I will use the skills and knowledge I have learned throughout my experience to continuing assisting, advancing, and advocating for my Latinx community, especially those affected by the current political state of the nation. Furthermore, I plan to use my experience in a collegiate setting, helping and being a resource for undocumented students and those who face inequitable barriers on campus.
by Alexa Muñoz-Gomez