Jessica Reyes

Senior Attorney

Jessica is a Senior Attorney at Canero Fadul Reis Law, with nearly two decades of experience in criminal and immigration law. Inspired by her loving and selfless immigrant mother, Jessica discovered her passion for justice early in life and has been practicing law since 2007.

She began her career as a public defender with the Legal Aid Society in New York City, representing clients in serious criminal matters. As one of the few Spanish-speaking attorneys in her office, Jessica naturally worked with individuals facing complex legal challenges at the intersection of criminal and immigration law—what is now known as “CrimImmigration.”

In 2012, Jessica joined the groundbreaking pilot program of the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP), the nation’s first public defender system for detained immigrants. She represented noncitizens with criminal convictions before the Executive Office for Immigration Review and led community outreach programs, DACA clinics, and Know Your Rights presentations in detention centers.

Her dedication to immigrant advocacy brought her to Miami in 2013, where she served as the sole immigration attorney—and later, Executive Director—of the Colombian American Service Association, a nonprofit focused on immigration legal services and community education.

In 2016, Jessica joined the Asylum Division of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), where she interviewed and adjudicated asylum cases. She later served as a Senior Immigration Services Officer at the USCIS Field Office, training officers and adjudicating a wide range of applications including adjustment of status, naturalization, waivers, and cases involving fraud, criminality, or national security concerns.

In 2019, Jessica returned to litigation as an Assistant Chief Counsel with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), representing the U.S. government in bond and removal proceedings. She handled various forms of relief—including cancellation of removal (42A and 42B), waivers (212(h), 212(c)), asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture. Given her deep asylum experience, she was tasked with creating the Miami office’s Asylum Training Program, which remains the foundation for onboarding new Assistant Chief Counsel.

Her commitment to national security led to a detail assignment with the National Security Law Division in Washington, D.C., where she handled sensitive cases involving terrorism-related evidence from across the country. In 2024, she was again detailed to Krome Detention Center, handling the detained docket and drafting persuasive legal briefs on issues involving crimes of moral turpitude, aggravated felonies, and controlled substance violations.

Now, bringing with her the depth of experience from both defense and government service, Jessica has returned to her true passion—helping immigrants like her mother navigate the complex U.S. immigration system and achieve the American dream.

Jessica is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and is admitted to practice in New York. She has been featured on Radio Paz to discuss key immigration issues and remains an active voice for immigrant rights and legal education.