About Salazar Legal
MONICA E. SALAZAR
(CEO) Executive Director / Founding Attorney
Attorney Monica E. Salazar was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and she is of Mexican descent. Her parents immigrated to the United States from the state of Zacatecas, Mexico. Attorney Monica Salazar is proud of her roots. She truly understands the life experiences of immigrants, and has dedicated her entire career to serving these populations within the United States. Attorney Monica Salazar has been practicing immigration law for over twenty years.
Monica Salazar earned a B.A. in History and Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She earned a J.D. from the University of California – Hastings College of Law. She is an active member of the Idaho State Bar and a member of the California State Bar. Monica Salazar is also a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).
Rebekah Rosas
Lead Attorney - Idaho
Rebekah was raised in Idaho’s Treasure Valley and is proud to practice within this community. She is passionate about the law and is determined to ensure that justice is served for the immigrant community. As a descendant of Mexican immigrants, Rebekah has a personal connection with the challenges and difficulties immigrants and Latinos face in the United States.
Rebekah Rosas earned her B.A. in History from Bryn Mawr College outside of Philadelphia. While in college, she was selected to be a Mellon Mays Fellow because of her commitment to academic excellence. She then received a J.D. from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was awarded a Rubin-Presser Fellow for her commitment to social justice. She is an active member of the Idaho State Bar and a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).
Manuel De Lira
Lead Attorney - Utah
Manuel is a United States Navy Veteran. He served in OEF and OIF aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln as a Hospital Corpsman. After six years of active duty, he attended the University of Oregon, where he earned his B.A. in English.
Manuel attended law school at Concordia University and the University of Idaho. He earned his J.D. from the University of Idaho in 2021. During law school, he was the Law Student Association President, received the Perkins Coie Diversity and Inclusion award, and completed over two hundred pro bono hours in the Idaho Community Council.
Manuel was raised in Idaho’s Treasure Valley. He is the son of Mexican immigrants. His grandfather immigrated to the United States in the 1940s as part of the Bracero program. Manuel is passionate about fighting for the rights of all immigrants. He wishes to write immigration policy as a member of Congress.
Viviana Gonzalez
Associate Attorney
Attorney Viviana González is a native Idaho’s Magic Valley. Growing up in Jerome, Idaho, she noticed a great need for attorneys who spoke Spanish and understood the culture of our immigrant community. Viviana saw her own family struggle to find Spanish-speaking Latino attorneys in Idaho and this fueled her passion for a career in Law. She graduated from the University of Idaho College of Law in 2022 and is fulfilling her commitment to her community by practicing immigration law with Salazar Legal. As the daughter of Mexican immigrants, Viviana understands the immigration process and
works to keep families together and live without fear.
Maria E. Andrade
Andrade Legal, Of Counsel
Maria E. Andrade joined Salazar Legal in June 2024. A respected immigration attorney with over 25 years of experience, Ms. Andrade leads the firm’s removal defense practice and business consulting. She also collaborates with the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies at UC San Francisco College of Law. Ms. Andrade has consistently served vulnerable communities throughout her career, blending private and non-profit work.
In her private firm, Andrade Legal, Ms. Andrade maintains a small docket focused on criminal-immigration, complex removal defense, and federal litigation matters.
In 2018, Ms. Andrade retreated from private practice, and founded Immigrant Justice Idaho (IJI), a non-profit offering free and low-cost deportation defense. As IJI’s Executive Director, Ms. Andrade increased its budget six-fold and established a national reputation within five years.
Before IJI, Ms. Andrade had spent nearly 20 years operating Andrade Legal and growing the firm to include six attorneys and two offices. The firm received numerous awards for its pro bono work, including services for asylum seekers, work with the criminal defense community, DACA support.
In her private capacity , Ms. Andrade founded the Idaho Organizing Project (IoP) in 2016 to increase civic engagement on social justice issues including citizenship drives, opposing anti-immigrant legislation. IoP also incubated PODER of Idaho, a leading Latino advocacy organization.
Ms. Andrade holds leadership positions with several prominent legal organizations, including the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the Federal Bar Association (FBA). She has served on advisory committees for the American Immigration Council’s Legal Action Center, chaired AILA’s Inaugural Federal Court Litigation Conference, and served on the Board of Directors of the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild and the Federal Defender Services of Idaho. Ms. Andrade’s contributions to these organizations and her frequent lectures on various immigration law topics have established her as a leading voice in the field.
Ms. Andrade earned her J.D. from the University of Notre Dame in 1995 and her B.A. from Loyola Marymount University in 1990.
Learn more about Maria at:
[https://www.avvo.com/attorneys/83701-id-maria-andrade-285860.html]
