Sergio C. Garcia

Garcia was born in Michoacán, Mexico, to parents Salvador Covarrubias and Albertina Garcia, who brought him to the United States when he was 17 months old.{{cite news|title=Sergio C. García Full Bio|publisher=Huffington Post|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sergio-c-garcia/|accessdate=1 June 2014}} When he was nine years old, Garcia's family moved from the United States back to Mexico, with him in tow.{{cite news|last1=Abcarian|first1=Robin|date=September 6, 2013|title=Sergio Garcia will practice law, and he will make a killing|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2013-sep-06-la-me-ln-sergio-garcia-law-20130906-story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013184748/http://articles.latimes.com/2013/sep/06/local/la-me-ln-sergio-garcia-law-20130906|url-status=live|archive-date=October 13, 2013|access-date=1 June 2014}} When he was 17, Garcia's father moved his family again, bringing Garcia into the United States illegally a second time, where he has remained ever since. Garcia applied for legal residency on November 18, 1994, but his application remained pending for nearly 19 years. Garcia is the second-oldest of six children, with two brothers and three sisters.

Garcia graduated from Durham High School before earning an associate degree in social and behavioral sciences and another in business administration from Butte College. He completed the paralegal certificate program from California State University, Chico. On May 9, 2009, after years of attending law school at night so he could work during the day, Garcia received a Juris Doctor from Cal Northern School of Law. In July of that same year, Garcia passed the California Bar Exam on his first attempt.

On September 4, 2013, the Supreme Court of California heard oral argument on the In re Garcia admission matter. During arguments on the matter, it became apparent that the court would be unable to grant Garcia's petition for bar admission unless legislative action allowed them to do so. Justice Marvin R. Baxter asked why nobody had reached out to the California State Legislature, noting, "I would imagine there would be a great deal of support for something like this." Garcia then began lobbying members of the legislature until a bill was finally introduced recommending applicants be allowed to practice law if they have met all other bar requirements in spite of having been brought into the country unlawfully by their parents. The court testified in a hearing of the legislature recommending that immigrants who were brought here illegally as minors should be allowed to obtain law licenses, and the legislature passed said legislation just three days later.{{cite news|last1=Medina|first1=Jennifer|title=California Gives Expanded Rights to Noncitizens|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/21/us/california-leads-in-expanding-noncitizens-rights.html|accessdate=1 June 2014|work=The New York Times|date=September 20, 2013}} Governor Jerry Brown signed the legislation on October 5, 2013, and the bill went into effect January 1, 2014.{{cite news|last1=Carrasquillo|first1=Adrian|title=California Supreme Court Rules Undocumented Immigrant Can Receive Law License|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/adriancarrasquillo/california-supreme-court-rules-undocumented-immigrant-can-re|accessdate=2 June 2014|publisher=BuzzFeed|date=January 2, 2014}}

In a January 2, 2014, by unanimous decision consistent with the new legislation,{{cite news|title=California daría licencias a indocumentados graduados en una treintena de profesiones|url=http://noticias.univision.com/article/1951750/2014-05-13/inmigracion/noticias/california-daria-licencias-a-indocumentados-graduados-en-una-treintena-de-profesiones|accessdate=1 June 2014|publisher=Univision|date=May 13, 2014|language=Spanish}} the court instructed the State Bar, an arm of the court,{{cite web|title=About Us|url=http://www.calbar.ca.gov/AboutUs.aspx|publisher=The State Bar of California|accessdate=1 June 2014}} to admit Garcia, rejecting arguments of the United States Department of Justice and others that federal law precluded his admission due to his undocumented status.{{cite news|last1=Fabian|first1=Jordan|title=Sergio Garcia: USA's First Undocumented Lawyer|url=http://www.nationaljournal.com/next-america/workforce/sergio-garcia-usa-s-first-undocumented-laywer-20140106|accessdate=1 June 2014|work=National Journal|date=January 6, 2014}} According to the court's decision, section 1621 of Title 8 of the United States Code "generally restricts an undocumented immigrant's eligibility to obtain a professional license, but that also contains a subsection expressly authorizing a state to render an undocumented immigrant eligible to obtain such a professional license through the enactment of a state law meeting specified requirements."

After Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill No. 1159 on September 28, 2014, requiring "all 40 licensing boards under the California Department of Consumer Affairs to consider applicants regardless of immigration status by 2016," Garcia was cited as being part of the inspiration for the bill.{{cite news|last1=Huang|first1=Josie|title=Immigrants without legal status able to apply for professional licenses in CA|url=http://www.scpr.org/blogs/multiamerican/2014/09/29/17360/immigrants-professionally-licensed-california/|accessdate=15 October 2014|publisher=89.3 KPCC|date=30 September 2014}}

After learning the Supreme Court of California ruled he could be a lawyer, Garcia told The New York Times, "I can open my own law firm, and that's exactly what I intend to do."{{cite news|last1=Medina|first1=Jennifer|title=Allowed to Join the Bar, but Not to Take a Job|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/03/us/immigrant-in-us-illegally-may-practice-law-california-court-rules.html?_r=0|accessdate=2 June 2014|work=The New York Times|date=January 2, 2014}} On February 3, 2014, Garcia opened The Law Offices of Sergio C. Garcia headquartered in Chico, California. Garcia announced, via Facebook, his intention to open a second law office in Los Angeles in June 2014.{{cite web |title=Sergio C. Garcia |url=https://www.facebook.com/sergio.c.garcia.5?fref=ts# |website=facebook.com|accessdate=1 June 2014}}

As an inspirational speaker and nationally recognized lawyer,{{cite news|last1=Medina|first1=Jennifer|title=Allowed to Join the Bar, but Not to Take a Job|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/03/us/immigrant-in-us-illegally-may-practice-law-california-court-rules.html?_r=0|accessdate=1 June 2014|work=The New York Times|date=January 2, 2014}} Garcia has delivered many keynote addresses and lectures, and participated in panels at venues including Sierra College,{{cite web |url=http://www.sierracollege.edu/events/upcoming/2014/03/sergio-garcia.php |title=Sergio C. Garcia, Esq.: Lecture |publisher=Sierra College|accessdate=1 June 2014}} the Bickel & Brewer Latino Institute for Human Rights at New York University School of Law,{{cite web |title=Bickel & Brewer Latino Institute for Human Rights |url=http://www.law.nyu.edu/centers/bickelbrewer |website=NYU Law |accessdate=1 June 2014}} La Raza Centro Legal's 41st Anniversary Celebration,{{cite web|last1=Peña|first1=Alexander |title=La Raza Centro Legal's 41st Anniversary Celebration |url=http://www.lrcl.org/article.php?story=20140304104154590 |publisher=La Raza Centro Legal |accessdate=1 June 2014}} and Napa Valley College's fourth annual Dreamer's Conference.{{cite news|last1=TODOROV|first1=KERANA|title=Immigrant lawyer to students: American dream is yours|url=http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/immigrant-lawyer-to-students-american-dream-is-yours/article_ed22bdee-96c7-11e3-9ff2-001a4bcf887a.html|accessdate=3 June 2014|publisher=Napa Valley Register|date=February 15, 2014}}

In early 2014, Saint Mary's Hall, a private college preparatory school in San Antonio, Texas, invited Garcia to be a speaker at their model United Nations conference. However, the school rescinded the invitation to Garcia when he refused to certify that he was a citizen by signing a W-9 form. Before the incident, Saint Mary's Hall had described Garcia as an "experienced and exciting keynote speaker", as well as expressing how unfortunate that he had been waiting for a visa for 19 years.{{cite news|last1=Carrasquillo|first1=Adrian|title=First Undocumented Lawyer Allowed To Practice In California Uninvited To Speech At San Antonio School|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/adriancarrasquillo/first-undocumented-lawyer-allowed-to-practice-in-california|accessdate=2 June 2014|publisher=Buzzfeed|date=March 18, 2014}}

Garcia has a national segment on MundoFox every Friday. On June 10, 2014, TED published a Garcia talk called "Fighting for Justice, Changing Lives: Sergio Garcia at TEDxBoyleHeights."{{cite web|title=Fighting for Justice, Changing Lives: Sergio Garcia at TEDxBoyleHeights| website=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzhjSqNoj1U#t=65|accessdate=11 June 2014}}

On March 28, 2015, Garcia was the guest speaker at the Tehama County Democratic Dinner, where he told attendees, "I would not be here without the many good Democrats of California, and they are my family."{{cite news|title=Garcia inspires at annual Democrats dinner|url=http://www.redbluffdailynews.com/lifestyle/20150407/garcia-inspires-at-annual-democrats-dinner|accessdate=10 April 2015|publisher=Red Bluff Daily News|date=7 April 2015}} Garcia was scheduled to be awarded the 2015 Phillip Burton Immigration and Civil Rights Award on May 28, 2015.{{cite web|title=2015 Phillip Burton Immigration and Civil Rights Awards|url=http://www.ilrc.org/2015PhillipBurtonAwards|website=ilrc.org|publisher=Immigrant Legal Resource Center|accessdate=2 March 2015}}

In 2006, Garcia published a self-help book on romance called Love, Sex and Romance, the proceeds from which he used to pay his law school tuition.{{cite news|last1=Palazzolo|first1=Joe|title=Can Illegal Immigrants Practice Law?|url=https://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324324404579044670263233400|accessdate=3 June 2014|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=September 2, 2013}}

Following his August 2012 appearance at a press conference and guest of honor at California's Capitol Hill, Garcia authored "Soñando de Este a Oeste...," an essay appearing in Spanish on Huffington Post.{{cite news|last1=Garcia|first1=Sergio C.|title=Soñando de Este a Oeste...|url=http://voces.huffingtonpost.com/sergio-c-garcia/sonando-de-este-a-oeste_b_1838098.html|accessdate=2 June 2014|publisher=Huffington Post|date=August 30, 2012}}

Garcia coauthored an article appearing in the February 2013 issue of Los Angeles Lawyer titled "Waiting to Become an Attorney after Passing the Bar", encouraging young attorneys to learn how to assist undocumented youths under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which would protect undocumented youth from deportation while providing them with a work permit. "One way is to become trained to help applicants to apply for deferred action so that they may obtain some interim status in the United States," wrote Garcia and coauthor.{{cite web|last1=Myers|first1=Devon|last2=Garcia|first2=Sergio C.|title=Waiting to Become an Attorney after Passing the Bar|url=https://www.lacba.org/docs/default-source/lal-back-issues/2013-issues/february-2013.pdf|publisher= Los Angeles County Bar Association

|work=Los Angeles Lawyer|accessdate=June 9, 2016|date=February 2013}}

Along with money he raises through fundraising, Garcia shares his speaking engagement fees with students struggling financially through scholarships granted by the Sergio C. Garcia Foundation. As of March 18, 2014, the foundation had raised $55,000.

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.courts.ca.gov/18822.htm In re Sergio C. Garcia on Admission - S202512]. California Supreme Court page on the Garcia case. Accessed June 3, 2014.
• [http://www.courts.ca.gov/opinions/documents/S202512.PDF In re Sergio C. Garcia on Admission], no. S202512, Cal. Sup. Ct. (Jan. 2, 2014). California Supreme Court decision granting the motion to admit Garcia. Accessed June 3, 2014.

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Category:1977 births

Category:Living people

Category:California lawyers

Category:Immigrant rights activists

Category:People from Michoacán

Category:Illegal immigration to the United States

Category:Mexican emigrants to the United States

Category:American academics of Mexican descent

Category:Cal Northern School of Law alumni

Category:Undocumented immigrants to the United States