Valentina Hiegemann

Valentina Hiegemann manages IRAP’s U.S.-Mexico Border Program, a part of the Legal Services Department. In this role, she coordinates programming and collaboration with local partners in Mexico to provide remote legal advice, community education, and direct legal representation to asylum-seekers and other displaced people seeking admission into the U.S. along the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Prior to joining IRAP, Valentina was the Emergency Assistance Director at Manos por Venezuela, an organization that provides emergency shelter and assistance to in-transit Venezuelan migrants and asylum seekers in Ecuador. Before that, she worked as a Program Officer with the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants overseeing post-release services for unaccompanied immigrant children in the U.S.

Valentina holds a M.A. in Migration and Refugee Studies from the American University in Cairo and a B.A in International Relations from Florida International University. She is a native Spanish speaker and is fluent in English and Italian.