Madeline Riley
Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic
Yurie Blons’ 23 and Madeline “Maddie” Riley ’23 have gained notoriety as a powerhouse duo at LIJC. Maddie and Yurie have demonstrated the power of teamwork and worked together to zealously represent many community members, including a longtime survivor of domestic violence and two unaccompanied minor sisters in removal proceedings. Additionally, Maddie and Yurie have proven to be versatile in their advocacy and understand the importance of shifting their work to accommodate the needs of the LA immigrant community. Maddie and Yurie assisted multiple DACA recipients seeking to apply for advance parole as well as jointly spearheaded a project geared at connecting clients with other social services providers. Yurie and Maddie have also stood out as rockstar students in their own capacities. Yurie, a former DACA recipient herself, worked closely alongside our DACAmented clients, completed renewals on a regular basis, participated on public panels regarding issues affecting the DACA community and even provided expert testimony in Sacramento as to the importance of extending educational loan forgiveness to DACAmented and undocumented college students in California. Maddie completed LIJC’s very first S-visa application on behalf of an informant that participated in various high profile cases in the city of Los Angeles. During the course of representation, Maddie demonstrated intelligence, grace and empathy when advocating for her client before various law enforcement agencies. Maddie also helped organize adjustment of status workshops alongside public counsel for immigrant victims of crime. We thank Maddie and Yurie for their tireless dedication to LIJC! We cannot wait to see them take the world by storm!