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Honored for Impact: Legal Director Roxana Cortes-Mills reflects on immigrant advocacy and community support
May 12, 2026
Omaha, Neb. – CIRA Legal Director Roxana Cortes-Mills was recently recognized with a community impact award at Metropolitan Community College’s 26th annual Cinco de Mayo luncheon in Omaha. She was joined by other award winner, Perla Ochoa, a community organizer for Heartland Workers Center.
Cortes-Mills was recognized for excellence in legal advocacy and service to immigrant communities. Read below to learn more about her passions, inspirations, and motivations in continuing this work during a particularly pivotal time in U.S. immigration practices.
How did you first react when MCC organizers announced your name during the award ceremony?
I was very surprised, and I was thinking: What did I do to get this honor? I do the work because I love the work. I never expect any recognition beyond knowing internally that I am doing good work for our community. It took a while for me to just accept that somebody wanted to reward me for simply following my passion.
But I was happy too! Because when you show up with passion every single day, it can take a toll on you. You just don’t realize how re-energizing it can be to have a spectator tell you you’re doing a good job. I rode a high after that. I felt so energized to keep doing really good, impactful work. Leading a team of people to be empathetic during a time of uncertainty can be hard, so those injections of energy are really important during this time of practicing immigration law.
Young people were able to see you win this award; What do you hope they can learn from your achievements?
I think it’s probably something very basic: Do what you love and then the rest will come. When you do what you’re passionate about, then the rest will come, regardless of what it is that you want. Whatever fills your cup, it’ll come if you do what you’re passionate about doing.
And what fills your cup?
I’m passionate about using my voice and my talents for good. I see my ability to help others as a privilege. I’m an immigrant, and I grew up in an immigrant household, and I know what things can look like when you don’t have somebody who has the skill set to advocate for you.
And so, my passion is to, one family at a time, help ensure people’s quality of life and humanity are respected, especially if they don’t have the opportunity to speak up for themselves. I can step in. I have language. I have a skill set that allows me to do that on behalf of my clients. And I have the education too. I love to share everything that I have learned on my journey to get to where I am. I don’t want to be the only person who knows some things. And I want to learn too! So, I always want to share my knowledge with the community: the fellow immigrant community, young students, law school students, fellow lawyers, even judges.
Is there anyone else you’d like to recognize to help reinvigorate their work?
Oh, so many people! There’s not enough time to list everyone I know who deserves recognition, but if I had to limit it, I’d love to acknowledge the hard work of CIRA DOJ Accredited Representative and Assistant to Legal Directors Jordan Malcom. The work we do is only possible because of her support. The Legal staff is a true team, and what unites us is the same passion in seeking our clients’ best interests. My team has been just a breath of fresh air, especially in difficult times. Associate Legal Director Anne Wurth also plays a very important role in making sure our team is cohesive and works as smoothly as possible.
The other team who deserves recognition is my family. There are times when, try as you might to shake off the hard days, you just can’t. And having a supportive partner helps to reset. Along with being an attorney, I’m also a mom. So, I love my job, and I also love my life after work. And being both wouldn’t be possible without the support and love of my parents, my village, helping me out. After the ICE raid in Omaha, I worked very long days, so I am so fortunate to have been able to lean on my partner, my parents, my sisters, to make sure my daughter was taken care of from going to daycare to brushing her hair to reading for story time.
I don’t know what I would have been able to do had I not had a village to help me be what I needed to be in that moment, which was CIRA’s Legal Director and immigrant advocate.
In 2022, Immigrant Legal Center and Refugee Empowerment Center merged, and the combined nonprofit organization is now CIRA, the Center for Immigrant & Refugee Advancement. Our diverse team of experts provides exceptional, compassionate legal representation, refugee services, and social work services. We take on the most complex immigration cases, resettle refugees from around the world, and ensure all clients have access to resources they need to live. Operating in 6 different offices from Council Bluffs to Scottsbluff, our team of more than 100 full-time employees helps communities welcome immigrants and refugees as they build their lives here. We assist with all forms of family and humanitarian-based immigration, and we never turn any family away due to inability to pay.
To empower immigrants and refugees to live confidently through high-quality legal representation, resettlement, and social work and to create welcoming communities through education and advocacy.
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