Vanessa Esparza-López

SPEAKER | LWVIL ISSUES BRIEFING 2025

Vanessa Esparza-López, managing attorney of the National Immigrant Justice Center’s Immigrant Legal Defense Project, represents individuals before the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of State, and U.S. Department of Justice.

Vanessa is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), where she currently serves on the Chicago AILA District Director Liaison committee. She obtained her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law in 2009 and her Bachelor of Arts with honors in International Studies from DePaul University in 2006. During law school, Vanessa was the cofounder of a new student group, the Society for Asylum & Immigration Law.