Rising Stars: Andrea Amavisca of the California Immigrant Policy Center

Raised as the child of immigrant parents in Imperial County, a rural agricultural region in Southern California nestled along the Mexico border, Andrea Amavisca always understood the value of immigrant rights.

Amavisca grew up assimilating into predominantly white spaces, believing that involvement in organizations such as 4H and FFA would make her an ideal college applicant. As a result, Amavisca faced a confrontation with her identities when she attended California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

“That was the first time I experienced face-on racism and been in an environment where I am one of very few people of color,” she says. “It was really eye opening to realize how underserved and under-resourced my community is back home.”

Amavisca’s love for animals and her background with FFA compelled her to pursue an animal science degree, which she refers to as her “yeehaw era.” During the increasing political turmoil of the 2016 presidential election, she decided that her program wasn’t a great fit, and she observed the campus climate to be challenging for people of color. She pivoted to study political science, and she grew increasingly involved in social justice work.

Amavisca supported herself throughout college, working multiple jobs at a time while she interned at a public relations firm and at an immigration firm, where she worked as a legal assistant. She describes her experience at the immigration firm as a career turning point. She worked there during the Trump presidency, when policies around immigration continuously changed, and unease amongst the immigrant community spiked.

Following graduation, Amavisca knew she wanted to continue working in the policy sector, so she pursued a legislative internship in Senator Mike McGuire’s office, who now serves as Senate President pro tempore. She continued working in the Law Offices of Kevin C. Gregg so she could support herself on this career path.

Gregg was an influential mentor, and he took note of her understanding of the beneficiary power of the law, saying “We talked a lot about how as an immigration attorney you can make a difference by helping the clients that come in the door, but that through policy you can impact a community and a large group of people even if you never have personal contact with them. That perspective comes through in the work she is doing to influence legislation and policy in California to improve the lives of immigrants.”

She climbed from legislative intern to Office Assistant in Senator McGuire’s office, which was her first formal introduction to the legislative process, before transitioning to a legislative aide position in Senator Cortese’s office (D-San Jose).

“On many days my Senate floor votes went the way they did by virtue of Andrea’s inspirational advice. No doubt the sky is the limit for her.”

In Sen. Cortese’s office, Amavisca staffed projects that she was deeply passionate about, such as SB 739 (2021), which was incorporated into the 2021-22 State Budget to create the California Guaranteed Income Program for former foster youth.

Senator Cortese understood Amavisca’s potential as a rising star when she was just a legislative aide. “As a legislative aide she did much more than the job required and inspired groundbreaking legislation like guaranteed income for impoverished and homeless young adults,” Cortese says. “On many days my Senate floor votes went the way they did by virtue of Andrea’s inspirational advice. No doubt the sky is the limit for her.”

When a position opened up at the California Immigrant Policy Center, Amavisca knew that it was the right fit for her. She started as a Senior Legislative Advocate at CIPC before being promoted to Government Affairs Manager this January.

Amavisca remarks that one of the biggest challenges facing immigrants in California is food insecurity because if you are not a US citizen, you cannot access CalFresh benefits. The CIPC has been working on the “Food for All” campaign, which would allow immigrants over the age of 55 that meet the eligibility requirements of CalFresh to access food benefits through the California Food Assistance Program.

Another critical resource at stake for immigrants during current budget negotiations is funding for legal services. “I think that that’s a really vital program that we need to work to protect and preserve in California to not only support those who are recent arrivals coming into California who are seeking asylum, but also those who have been here for years, who need access to an attorney to be able to stay and receive access to benefits,” she says.

As the most senior employee on her team, Amavisca provides support on campaign strategy and facilitates the movement of her team’s proposals through the legislative process, working to make the legislative process more accessible and comprehensible.

Sasha Feldstein, Policy Director at CIPC, speaks highly of Amavisca’s work ethic and ambitions, saying “She has done a tremendous job of helping to build community members’ capacity to participate in, and lead, powerful advocacy campaigns. Whether she’s training folks on the legislative and budget process, leading lobby visits, crafting compelling testimony for committee hearings, or thinking through strategy, Andrea brings enthusiasm, a generous spirit, determination, curiosity and creativity to her work.”

In the future, Amavisca envisions herself continuing to work in the immigrant rights space, perhaps working more closely on the intersection of LGBTQ+ rights and immigrant rights.

She says her chosen family has been a crucial support system in the past couple of years, as she navigates opening up to the world about her queer identity. She describes the past year as a period of coming out to the world and coming into herself, saying “it is the best feeling to be able to be fully myself not only in my personal life, but also professionally.”

As some close relationships grew strained in the aftermath of her coming out, Amavisca sought community in the Capitol. She worked as the Events Director for the Capitol LGBTQ Association last year, and in her current role has co-led a training on the history of Pride Month and how to center LGBTQ+ immigrants in policy efforts.

Amavisca has some words of encouragement for people looking to enter the public policy sector: “Do it. Especially if you have lived experience, do it. While it can be challenging to be a queer person of color in spaces that have historically excluded us, I think it’s important to be able to bring your lived experience and that representation to conversations.”