Liz Castillo
Scholar Immigration / International Human Rights
Class of 2026
"I believe the Justice Center understands the unique, valuable role community lawyering plays in movements for social justice. I am grateful for the opportunity this scholarship represents not just to develop new legal skills and knowledge but also to receive intentional mentorship. I am excited for this new chapter and cannot wait to take everything I learn at Texas Law back to community-led campaigns and efforts for immigrant justice."
Liz is a fellow with Peoples’ Counsel and the National Police Accountability Project in Houston. Her fellowship focuses on expanding direct civil rights representation for survivors of police violence and advancing related local policy reforms. Her work is supported by the Manne Family Fellowship in Public Interest Law.
Liz grew up in the Texas Rio Grande Valley and earned a degree in political science from the University of Chicago in 2014. After college, she worked as an immigration organizer and paralegal in the Chicago area. She returned to the Rio Grande Valley in 2018, where she worked in immigration journalism and later served as an organizer with the Detention Watch Network.
At Texas Law, Liz was a member of the Justice Center student advisory board. She also participated in the Civil Rights Clinic and Employment Rights Clinic. The summers after her 1L and 2L, Liz worked with the National Immigration Project of the Nationa Lawyers Guild and Institute for Women in Migration.