ASAP Staff Spotlight: Leidy

We are excited to spotlight Leidy Perez-Davis, ASAP’s Policy Director! When Leidy was six years old, she moved from her small town in rural Venezuela to Miami, Florida, as an unaccompanied and undocumented minor. In Miami, she was reunited with her mother, who had emigrated from Venezuela three years earlier. Leidy went on to become the first person in her family to graduate from high school, college, and law school.

“When I was a child, my family and I left everything and everyone we knew in search of a better future. The experiences of navigating the complex and oftentimes cruel US immigration system have been the guiding light of my career,” Leidy said. “I want to continue to use my voice and my experiences to advocate for changes that would benefit the community I am a part of.”

Before joining the ASAP team, Leidy worked as a Senior Attorney with the Kids in Need of Defense Family Separation Team, where she represented separated children in immigration court and mentored other attorneys doing similar work. Leidy has also worked as an immigration attorney with the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, where she helped immigrants gain legal status in the United States, and as policy counsel with the American Immigration Lawyers Association, where she advocated for systemic reform to the immigration system. She graduated with her J.D. from the Florida International University College of Law, where she represented unaccompanied children in court through the Immigrant Children’s Clinic.

“I feel immeasurable gratitude for being able to join the ASAP team and for being able to work directly with a community of resilient and inspiring asylum seekers,” she continued. “I hope to continue to work alongside the growing ASAP team on behalf of the larger asylum-seeking community, so that together we can establish a system crafted for and by asylum seekers themselves.”

With her deep knowledge and personal expertise, Leidy works with members, staff, and other changemakers to ensure that asylum seekers are at the center of the fight for a more welcoming United States. We are so lucky to work with her at ASAP!

To learn more about Leidy and the rest of the ASAP team, please visit our staff page.