Bring Luis Home

#BringLuisHome2024

On January 12, 2024 the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case of State Department v. Muñoz, a lawsuit filed in 2017 by Sandra Muñoz and her husband Luis Asencio-Cordero challenging the denial of Asencio’s application for a green card, which resulted in a forced separation that has lasted almost a decade. You can help unite this family before the court hears the case by endorsing the following letter demanding the Biden administration #BringLuisHome

In the News

Official Sign on Letter

Reunite This Los Angeles Husband and Wife Wrongfully Separated For Nearly A Decade

In October 2022, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the federal government violated the constitutional rights of Sandra Muñoz when it denied her husband Luis Asencio-Cordero’s green card application without providing a reason. As a result of the denial, Luis was prevented from returning to the couple’s shared home in Los Angeles, and they have been separated since 2015. The denial has also kept Luis apart from his U.S. citizen daughter.

Instead of abiding by the Ninth Circuit’s ruling and bringing Luis home, the Biden administration appealed the decision to the US Supreme Court, prolonging the couple’s separation and placing the rights of millions of families of mixed immigration status in danger of a potential negative ruling. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case and arguments are being scheduled for April 2024.

Sandra was born and raised in East Los Angeles, the child of a World War Two veteran and a warehouse worker. She went to Garfield High School and was a member of the math class featured in the 1988 Academy Award nominated film Stand and Deliver. For almost 30 years, Sandra has been an award-winning workers’ rights attorney. Luis is from El Salvador and became an active member of his community in Los Angeles after coming to the US in 2005.

The couple married in 2010 and in 2013 embarked on the lawful process to acquire Luis a green card and set him on the pathway to citizenship. As part of this process, immigration authorities determined that their marriage was “bona fide” and that Sandra would suffer “extreme hardship” if they were separated. The Department of Homeland Security conducted a background check, determining Luis is not a threat to the public and that there is no reason to believe he lacked the right to stay in the US.

The last step in the process is for green card applicants to leave the US and travel to the US consulate in their home country for a final interview. Luis and Sandra booked plane tickets and traveled to El Salvador together in April 2015. They thought their trip would be a brief one, but Luis has not been home since.

To this day, the couple still does not know why a consular official deemed him “inadmissible” to come home. Six months after the interview, the couple received a letter from the State Department which said that an officer determined Luis was planning to come to the US to engage in “any other unlawful activity.” Attorneys asked repeatedly for a further explanation but were given no answer. They tried submitting evidence that Luis has no criminal record beyond traffic tickets, but without knowing the reason for the denial it proved impossible to correct the government’s error. Luis has tattoos which he got in high school, and a gang expert signed a sworn affidavit saying his tattoos were not related to any gang.

Luis and Sandra filed a lawsuit in January 2017 arguing that the denial of Luis’ green card without explanation violated their right to due process and marriage. Well into the litigation, the government falsely claimed, without evidence, that Luis is a gang member. Three presidential administrations—Obama, Trump and Biden—have argued that neither Luis nor Sandra, a US citizen, has the right to a day in court to challenge the denial.

Sandra and Luis followed the legal process in an attempt to strengthen their family unity, but ended up separated without due process. As a result of the Biden administration’s decision to appeal this case to the Supreme Court, the rights of millions in mixed-immigration status families are at risk. A negative ruling would lead to countless unjust family separations and could pave the way for future attacks on immigrants, including after the 2024 election.

The Biden administration must correct this grave injustice by taking immediate action to unite this family in Los Angeles.

#BringLuisHome2024

Sign Here

Notable Signatures

Organizations

Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)
Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice
Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic, Loyola Law School (Los Angeles)
Homies Unidos
Socialist Equality Party (US)
Father Greg Boyle, Founder, Homeboy Industries
Advance Peace Fresno
Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Young Women's Freedom Center
Central American Resource Center –CARECEN of California
Secure Justice
Immigrant Legal Defense
Alianza Sacramento
Nikkei Progressives
National Compadres Network
End Solitary Santa Cruz County
NorCal Resist
SOLACE San Diego
Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice
Transforming Justice OC
Orange County Equality Coalition
Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition
South Asian Network
Freedom for Immigrants
Somos Familia Valle
Tsuru for Solidarity
Artivists United
Youth Justice Coalition
Immigrant Defenders Law Center
Immigration Resource Center of San Gabriel Valley
California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance
Ground Game LA
Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice
Families for Freedom
Public Counsel
California Immigrant Policy Center
Riot of Roses Publishing House
Bethesda Repertory Theater
Community United Against Violence (CUAV)
UCLA Law Students for Immigrant Justice
California Alliance for Youth and Community Justice (CAYCJ)
Órale: Organizing Rooted in Abolition Liberation and Empowerment
Haiti Action Committee
South Bay People Power
Orange County Rapid Response Network
Center for Empowering Refugees and Immigrants
American Friends Service Committee—San Diego
Harbor Institute for Immigrant and Economic Justice

Law firms and attorneys

Naser Immigration Law, LLC
Sabrina Damast, Esq.
Katheryn Seligman, attorney
Sara Hundt
Julie Rivera-Coo, Attorney at Law
Sondra Solovay, JD
Daniela Flores, Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition
Colleen Flynn, National Lawyers Guild Los Angeles
Adriana Brava Law
Janeth Arias, Esq.
Law Office of Vida Holguin
Julia Almazan, Esq.
Attorney Michelle Fonseca-Kamana
Armando Villegas and Associates
Law Office of Kelly Y. Chan
Lucia Gonzalez, Attorney
Elena Medina, Attorney
Mario D. Vega, Esq.
Law Office of Gerri D. Marshall
Vistas Law Group, LLP
Laura Jimenez, Esq.
Alma D. Puente, Esq.
Cynthia Grande, The Grande Law Firm
Belen Gomez, attorney
Hugo Gamez, Esq.

Individuals

Peaches Chung, Loyola Social Justice Law Clinic
Doreen Govari
Laura Ridolfi
John Vasquez
Jonathan Cervantes
Joaquin E DiazDeLeon
Victoria Hirsch
Luis R. Cabrales
Jerry Tello, National Compadres Network
Barbara Grover
Stephanie Barrera, CARECEN
Rhonda Rios Kravitz, Alianza Sacramento
Liza Diniakos
Elvira Daza
Jonathan Cervantes
Alec Peters
Jessica Starks
Antonio Escobar
Sergio Escobar
Deanna Leyva
Alvin W. Fargo
Jacob Lackey
Elizabeth Castillo
Don Barry
Jacob Josefson
Marco Mariangeli
Rachel Morrow
Flor Escobar
Susan Rosenthal
Darren Southworth
Stephanie Barrera
Harvey Lichtman, member, United Federation of Teachers
Luis R. Cabrales
Shirley Ortiz
Walter Raudales
Alessandra Colfi
Margaret Carroll
Daniela Flores, Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition
Theresa M. Bonpane, author
Jill Anderson, PhD
Lisa Arnold
Tanner Smith
Paulina Celaya
Linda Tubach
Dr. Paule Cruz Takash, Casa Libre
Wayne M. Getz, University of California, Dept ESPM
Kathryn LaPointe
Evan Blake, Socialist Equality Party
C. Youens
Mónica Perez
Heriberto Veliz
Gladys Guzman
Suzanne Castillo
Jennifer B Getz
Anthony Akerman
Chelsea Bell
Kathy Ford
Beth Jakubanis
Lydia Storie
Gay Crawford
Jessica Aparicio
Noely Loeza
Iliana Guzman Castro
Judy Campbell Siglin
Araceli G. Guerrero
Paul R. Vega
Verónica Reyes, MFA
Catherine Arias
María Villa
Anna Perez
Bert Voorhees
Lise Anderson
Lizett Arroyo
Bicente Vasquez Contreras
Dominic Patascil
Sivlvia Perez
Eva Arrechiga
Mónica Vallafana
Sylvia Franco
Jen Kramer
Marisol Ceja
Brenda Flores
Lorena Vazquez
Lesly Garcia
Andrea Carcamo
Sandra Melendez
Xitlali Carroll
Mara Marajarrez
Jennifer Baidon Carrillo
Cindy Pánuco
Olga Garcia
Lillian Martin
Maria Rivera
Noriko Nakada
Melissa Cruz
Marisela Norte
David Morales
Erica Quintero
Mariajulia Urias
Liza DuPont
Alvin Andrade
Judy Perez
Martha Patricia Garcia
Marjo Maristerra
Steve Arredondo
Mónica Guizar
Sara Moinuddin
Guadalupe Diaz Issa
Rahul Neuman
Christina L. Adams
Alicia Junco
Claudia Lainez
Ziwei Hu
Lety Salcedo
Jonathan Cohen
Eliseo Medina
Joshua Bernstein
Tatiana Daza
Allyson Batista
Susana González
Nayeli Pelayo
Sandra Estrada
Monique Alarcon
Patricia Licea Guerrero
Julieta Hernandez
Andrew Rudy Galindo
Michael Gomez
Erik Gauger
Maria Olaguez
Sara Campos
Julianna Medina
Devon Rios
Parissa E Florez
Cornelia Dai
Edith Castañeda
Diego Arp
Silvia Luna
Cinthia Flores
Sofia Martinez
Nari Igawa
Ludy Lui
Emily Harris
Ruth Adame
Cristina Martinez-Thompson
Erin McClure
Scott McDonald
Igor Kagan
Nancy Hernandez
Lisa Vega
Monica De La Hoya
Anita García Velasco
Gladys Bautista
Kyra Andrassy
Diana Torres
Cynthia Alonso
Karla Hernandez
Denise Soto Hall
Stephanie O’Hara
Roberto Saravia
Jocelyn Asencio
Patricia Anderson
Sean Taitt
Alan Gelfand
Rachel Pody
Esmerala Hernandez
Kyle Ruiz
Cindy Villasenor
Roman Licea
Melanie Rasic Savarese
Lynn Ballen
Jennifer Genest
Terry Magnatta
Fernanda Dagata
Vickie Vertiz, UCSB
Efrain Romo
Daniel Slucki
Dr. Adrianne Aron
Malaika H Kambon
Tanya Kellam