After studying English, writing, and Spanish at Drury University, Alexis came to law school with the goal of using her license to help individuals and their families navigate the complexities of the legal system and feel safe and secure. While at the University of Minnesota Law School, she spent a week at the southern border providing pro bono services to asylum-seekers in immigration detention facilities. After that, she knew that a career in immigration was her path. Shortly after this, Alexis joined Karam Law in 2016.
During school, she was a certified student attorney in the Federal Immigration Litigation Clinic of the James H. Binger Center for New Americans. Alexis was involved in litigation efforts contesting the Travel Ban as well as the class action lawsuit for the Somali 92, which included another trip to immigration detention facilities, this time in Southern Florida. She has argued before the U.S. District Court of Minnesota and the Eighth Circuit. Alexis graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2018, where she was on the Dean’s list and graduated with the Immigration Concentration.
Today, Alexis has a broad immigration practice, focusing on working with families and those seeking humanitarian and family-based relief throughout the immigration process, from application to appeal. Alexis practices before USCIS, immigration courts, the Board of Immigration Appeals, U.S. District Courts, and the Circuit Courts of Appeal.
Alexis is licensed in Minnesota, and is admitted to practice before the Executive Office of Immigration Review, the Eighth and Second Circuits, the District Court of Minnesota, and the Western District of Wisconsin. She speaks Spanish.
She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). Alexis is currently serving a five-year term on the Executive Committee for the AILA Minnesota-Dakotas Chapter. She has also served as a co-chair of the Upper Midwest Annual Conference and a Fort Snelling Immigration Court Liaison.
Alexis volunteers with the Advocates for Human Rights, particularly enjoying appellate pro bono work, and mentoring non immigration attorneys who are providing pro bono services for asylum and immigration court matters.
She has provided continuing legal education presentations on various topics, including bond hearings, federal litigation, and humanitarian asylum. Alexis is grateful for the mentorship and guidance she received during her education from practicing attorneys; because of this, she principally loves working with and presenting to students.
Education:
- University of Minnesota Law School, Juris Doctor
- Drury University, Bachelor of Arts in English, writing, Spanish
Bar Admission:
- State Bar of Minnesota
- U.S. District Court District of Minnesota
- U.S. District Court Western District of Wisconsin
- Federal Circuit Courts
Areas of Practice:
- Family-Based Immigration
- Asylum and family reunification
- Other humanitarian forms of relief (T-Visa, U-Visa, TPS)
- Adjustment of Status to permanent residence
- Defense in Removal Proceedings
- Administrative Appeals
- Board of Immigration Appeals
- Federal District Court litigation
- Federal Circuit Appeals
- Naturalization
- Waivers
- DACA
- Minnesota State Criminal Pardons (for non-citizen clients)
- Immigration opinion letters for criminal cases
Languages:
- English
- Spanish
Presentations/Publications:
- AILA Upper Midwest Conference 2025, “Rapid Response and Changes in Detention Practices” (May 2025)
- AILA Minnesota Dakotas Chapter CLE: How to Prepare for and Represent Your Clients in Individual Hearings” (March 2025)
- AILA Upper Midwest Conference 2024, “Best Practices and Preparation for BIA Appeals) (May 2024)
- AILA Upper Midwest Conference 2023, “Hot Topics in Federal Litigation” (May 2023)
- AILA Upper Midwest Conference 2022, “How to Represent Clients in Bond Hearings” (May 2022)
- AILA Upper Midwest Conference 2021 (chair)
- Federal Immigration Litigation Clinic, guest speaker (Spring 2023)
- University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs, guest speaker, “Law and Public Affairs” (Spring 2020, Spring 2022)
- Drury University, guest speaker, “Lawyer in Literature and Film” (Spring 2020)
- Drury University, guest speaker, Spanish department (Spring 2020)
- Immigration Law for 5th Graders (various Twin Cities elementary schools – 2019-2023)
- James H. Binger Center for New Americans, “The Case for Humanitarian Asylum: Responding to the harm caused by a backlogged immigration system in the Trump Era” (February 13, 2018)
- James H. Binger Center for New Americans “How MN Law Students and Attorneys Helped Stop Somali Deportation” (March 8, 2018)