News & Commentary written by Jonhatan Aragon

Jonhatan Aragon is a staff attorney with the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project. Before joining the ACLU, he was an associate at Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP, where he maintained an active pro bono practice focused on immigration matters. His work included filing an emergency habeas petition that successfully secured the release of an asylum seeker unlawfully detained by ICE, assisting minors with Special Immigrant Juvenile Status applications, representing asylum seekers in removal proceedings, and defending noncitizens in federal criminal matters.

Jonhatan clerked for U.S. Circuit Judge Nancy L. Moritz of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. He also clerked for U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy J. Koppe of the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada. Across his clerkships, he worked on a wide range of federal matters involving statutory interpretation, administrative law, constitutional claims, and complex civil litigation.

Earlier in his career, Jonhatan worked at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the Federal Defenders of New York, and the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, where he developed a foundation in public-interest advocacy.

Jonhatan is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine School of Law and Yale University. He is fluent in Spanish.