Member Spotlight: An Interview with Patricia Hernandez
by Lynare Robbins
Global Ties Miami is delighted to introduce our diverse base of members to a host of readers from all over the world! This month we are happy to introduce Patricia Hernandez!
Patricia Hernandez was born in Colombia and immigrated undocumented to the United States with her family when she was 9 years old. She grew up in the South Side area of Chicago in an ethnically diverse community, with what she describes as having a great disparity in income classes from affluent to middle class to low income earners. “Growing up we were very poor, my dad worked multiple jobs to make ends meet and he always instilled in me the importance of studying and getting good grades,” says Patricia. Ultimately she and her family obtained lawful status through the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (commonly referred to as Amnesty). “I was 20 years old when I obtained lawful status. We moved to Miami in 1992, where I graduated from Braddock Sr. High School. From high school I went to Miami-Dade College where I obtained an Associates in Science in Paralegal Studies.” Patricia shares that while she attended Miami-Dade College she obtained a paralegal job for a partner of a large national law firm. While working in the position full-time, she then began attending Florida International University (FIU) where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. She then enrolled in St. Thomas College of Law where she graduated Cum Laude with a Juris Doctorate Degree and a certificate in Intercultural Human Rights. “After graduating from law school, I began working as an Immigration attorney for a large local immigration firm and after two years I went on my own and founded Rotella and Hernandez, a full service Immigration and Family law firm, along with my wife Nora Rotella, who was my best friend at the time.” Patricia explained in detail how her vocational calling unfolded.
She says she decided to become an attorney because she has always felt that her life’s calling is to fight for equality and help immigrants. “As a lesbian and an immigrant myself, I have first-hand experience of the challenges faced by marginalized communities and felt that the best way I could help make an impact was by becoming a lawyer.” She adds that her personal experiences have shaped her world view and has cultivated compassion for others seeking entry, acceptance and citizenship in this country.
Both Patricia and Nora were admitted to the Florida Bar in September of 2011. Patricia then began practicing law at a large local immigration law firm where she was able to gain experience handling all types of immigration matters, from clients wanting to obtain their citizenship to those petitioning for their family members, to those facing deportation from the United States. “Because the firm I worked at handled immigration cases nationwide, I have represented immigrants in immigration court and asylum offices in Seattle, Washington, Brownsville, Lyndhurst, Philadelphia, and Miami.” After two years in her role Patricia decided that she wanted to open up a private firm where she could provide more personal attention to clients. “While I was working for the law firm, Nora, who I had met in law school and was my best friend, had been handling family and criminal law cases since being admitted to the Florida Bar. I mentioned to Nora that I wanted to go on my own and she said, “let’s open up a firm together” and this is how Rotella & Hernandez was born.” Patricia explains that since day one she and Nora agreed that their firm would focus on providing personalized, compassionate and competent legal representation for their clients. “We agreed that we would always take the time to listen to our clients to get a full understanding of their individualized circumstances and needs. By listening we gain a clear understanding of the situation and can provide legal solutions that empower our clients to make confident, informed decisions to safeguard them and their families.” Patricia adds that these principles still hold true today even though they have grown from a small office with a desk and two chairs to a much larger office that accommodates their growing staff and clients. She points out that by offering both immigration and family law services, their office is able to fight for families and help them achieve the American dream. “I truly love what I do because I lived it and know how life changing it can be to go from being an undocumented person to obtaining lawful status in the United States.”
In an important and ever-growing industry such as immigration law, Patricia says that it has fared fairly well during Coronavirus pandemic. She explains the impact that COVID-19 has had on operations involving new and pending cases. “At the start of the pandemic, the family law court quickly pivoted and began holding its hearings via zoom, while on the immigration side of things it has been a bit chaotic, with the Immigration Court continuing to hold in person hearings for individuals who are in detention.” Patricia says that for immigrants not detained, the Immigration Courts have yet to incorporate video hearings, while for several months the courts have been closed and hearings have been placed in a continued status, in some cases to as far out as 2022. She adds that the Miami Immigration Court has recently begun to hold in person hearings for individuals not detained by incorporating a rotation schedule for the judges. “On the other hand U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Services (USCIS), continued to process cases throughout the pandemic and approved several cases without an interview. Additionally a few months back USCIS began conducting in-person interviews for immigration benefits such as citizenship and marriage applications.”
While reflecting on what she would like to see transpire in 2021, Patricia discusses the benefits of merging technology with the immigration system to meet the evolving needs of the 21st century and says that she would like to see video hearings incorporated. “Preliminary immigration hearings (which are called master calendar hearings) usually take less than 10 minutes. Hosting these hearings via zoom can make the system more efficient and it will certainly be more cost effective for immigrants who usually tend to live far away from immigration courts.” Patricia relays that she has clients that live in West Palm Beach and have to pay to travel to the Miami Immigration Court for their master calendar hearing that typically takes less than 10 minutes. She advocates for the incorporation of a comprehensive e-filing system for all immigration courts. “This is something they rolled out on a test basis during the pandemic and now that some immigration courts are opening up again they have reverted back to in-person or U.S. mail filing.”
Another improvement that Patricia says she would like to see happen in 2021 is affordable housing planning. “In 2020, I read a report in the Miami Herald that said that Miami is the least affordable large city in the U.S. with over 50% of households paying more than 30% of their income on housing costs. To me this is an existential threat to diversity in our city.” Patricia points out that there are various models from other cities (she cited New York, Chicago, and San Francisco) that demonstrate how they have tackled the issue and suggests that they be studied in order to further brainstorm potential solutions for affordable housing planning in Miami.
Patricia and Nora have championed many initiatives in the South Florida community, and feel that being active and invested in their community is important. “One of the things that I am most proud off is that several years back our office started conducting what we call ‘Know Your Rights’ presentations throughout the South Florida community.” Patricia explains that the presentations are meant to educate immigrants about their rights. Another initiative that she says she is very proud of is being a board member and the chair of the LGBTQ committee of the American Immigration Lawyers Association- South Florida Chapter. “I began an LGBTQ sensitivity training program for immigration attorneys. During the training immigration practitioners are taught about the importance of having gender neutral intake forms, pronouns and specific strategies for representing LGBTQ Asylum seekers.” Patricia adds that on a personal level, helping her community has helped her grow as a person and has provided her with a better understanding of how she fits into the world around her. “Giving back helps unite the community and bridge some of the social, economic and political gaps. It has been a great way for me to get to know my community, its residents and it has broadened my perspective of the different walks of life around me which in turn has made me a more effective and empathetic individual.” Patricia says that altruism enriches the community because without volunteers and monetary contributions many of the services and events that residents enjoy in their communities would not be as readily available.
In terms of community investment and legacy planning, Patricia says that it is extremely important to plan for the long term and cultivate future leaders. “The Aqua Foundation for Women (Aqua), a local non-profit by and for LBTQ women which I am a board member of, has an exceptional scholarship program that is specifically tailored to cultivate future LBTQ leaders.” Patricia explains that through Aqua’s scholarship program, emerging leaders in the local South Florida community are identified and supported with professional development by pairing them with a mentor who will provide the scholar with academic, professional, and personal guidance. “The mentors come from various sectors of our community ranging from corporate America all the way to academia. Additionally, each scholar is given the opportunity to attend a leadership conference, community service events, and the chance to forge relationships with like-minded folks working for positive social change. It is through programs such as Aqua’s that we forge a legacy an empower future generations.”
Patricia says that it is important for government, organizations and academic institutions to promote diversity and inclusion into their leadership roles. “Diversity and inclusion in all institutions and in the private sector brings value to society as a whole. When we have a diverse and inclusive society we learn different perspectives which leads to innovative solutions, and we become more accepting of folks from all walks of life. In terms of the abundance of diversity that exists in the Miami community, Patricia says, “I love the fact that on any given day I can meet someone from anywhere in the world strike a conversation and learn about that place and their culture. I can go to a Thai restaurant one week and the next week go to a Salvadorian restaurant an eat Pupusas. We can learn so much about a culture and its people through food. I feel truly fortunate to live in Miami.”
In addition to enjoying various world cuisine, Patricia and Nora are avid world travelers. “My wife and I love to travel. I always say that I work really hard so that I can travel.” Patricia expresses a natural curiosity in learning about people from all walks of life and their cultures. “The list of places where I have traveled to is quite lengthy, but to name a few, I have traveled to Alaska, France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, the UK, Africa and there are still so many more places where I am planning to go.” Although Patricia admittedly says that she cannot pick just one favorite destination, but she loves Morocco because of its food and uniqueness. “I also love Peru. A few years back, I trekked through the Andes for four days and three nights on the Inca Trail to get to Machu Picchu, which was life changing for me.”
As a member of Global Ties Miami, Patricia says that she was invited to an event that the organization hosted where young performers from around the world assembled an impromptu talent show. “I believe the event was on a Thursday afternoon and it turned a mundane afternoon into an extraordinary one. Some of the performers danced, others did spoken word, and others told myths from their countries. It was an afternoon that I will never forget because the experience was so enriching. After that experience, I became a member of Global Ties Miami.” Patricia says that international diplomacy and programs like the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) are critically important. “I believe that in order for a nation to be successful they must have strong diplomatic ties with other nations. Diplomacy serves a variety of purposes that drive our world and programs such the IVLP helps us learn about the different ways other nations are dealing with the same or similar situations we are facing here.” She offers the status of climate in our world as an example. “As the climate continues to change, nation states will have to come together through diplomacy to come up with a comprehensive plan to save our planet. We have made progress over the years with the Paris Agreement but more must be done otherwise we are going to find ourselves with a huge climate refugee crisis all over the world.” Patricia says that realizing that we are all not so different from one another is how we can come together to improve the world.
To learn more about the work that Patricia does, you can visit Rotella & Hernandez Immigration, Criminal & Family Law firm: https://www.rotellahernandezlaw.com/
