Our Legal Team
Jonah Eaton
Supervising Litigation Attorney​
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​Jonah specializes in refugee and asylum law and is the Nationalities Service Center's Philadelphia Partnership for Resilience (PPR) staff attorney, providing pro bono legal representation for victims of torture. In addition to his PPR work, Jonah represents immigrants in a wide range of legal issues before USCIS, Immigration Court, and U.S. District Court and Court of Appeals.
Jonah co-teaches the Refugee Law and Policy class at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Prior to joining NSC, he was a Bates Fellow at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Bureau for Europe in Brussels, Belgium, where he worked on impact litigation before the European Court of Justice and litigation involving refugee rights in the European Union. Jonah is a graduate of Swarthmore College and the University of Michigan Law School.
Lilah Thompson
Supervising Attorney​
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​Lilah Thompson is the Supervising Attorney of the Pennsylvania Immigrant Family Unity Project (PAIFUP), Pennsylvania’s first publicly-funded defense counsel project for noncitizens in immigration detention. She joined NSC in February 2020.
Lilah represents clients pro bono in removal and bond proceedings before the Executive Office for Immigration Review and the Board of Immigration Appeals. Lilah also works closely with community partners and attorneys throughout the United States towards the mission of providing universal representation to all noncitizens who are unable to afford counsel, and in support of a just immigration system that reflects the needs and lived experiences of those experiencing deportation and detention.
Prior to joining NSC, Lilah worked for the U.S. Department of Justice as an Attorney Advisor at the New York and Philadelphia Immigration Courts. Lilah is a graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law and of Franklin & Marshall College. She is a member of the Pennsylvania bar and is Chair of the AILA Philadelphia Chapter EOIR Liaison committee. She is fluent in Spanish.
Maggie Kopel
Senior Staff Attorney​
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Maggie joined NSC in September 2022 as a Fellow with the Independence Foundation. Maggie is working with the Pennsylvania Immigrant Family Unity Project (PAIFUP) to provide federal court representation to individuals experiencing immigration detention in Pennsylvania. She is committed to decarceration and to the rights of all immigrants to live freely and with dignity.
Maggie attended the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She clerked for Judge Gerald McHugh on the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and for Chief Judge Michael Chagares on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
Before clerking, Maggie was at NSC working with the PAIFUP program. Maggie speaks fluent Spanish.
Whitney Viets
Senior Staff Attorney​
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Whitney Viets joined the Nationalities Service Center in March 2021. Prior to coming to NSC, she served as an immigration attorney at the Bronx Defenders, where she advised defendants on the immigration consequences of criminal convictions, represented non-citizens in immigration court, and completed affirmative and defensive applications for immigration relief. She has also worked as a tenants' rights attorney at Bronx Legal Services and a legal fellow in asylum law at Human Rights First. In addition to her role at NSC, Whitney serves as the sole immigration counsel at the Defender Association of Philadelphia, where she advises criminal attorneys and clients about the immigration consequences of criminal charges, assists in negotiating immigration-safe case outcomes, and is responsible for maintaining a statewide chart detailing the immigration consequences of Pennsylvania criminal convictions. Whitney graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2015, where she was a Toll Public Interest Scholar. Before law school, she worked as a community organizer in San Jose, California and a volunteer teacher in Lima, Peru. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania and speaks Spanish.
Som-Mai Nguyen
Staff Attorney​
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​Som-Mai Nguyen joined Nationalities Service Center (NSC) in September 2022. She holds a B.S. from Stanford University and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, where she assisted clients in asylum and juvenile dependency matters through the Transnational and Child Advocacy Clinics and served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Law and Social Change. During law school, Som-Mai also interned with Advocates for Children of New York, the ACLU of Louisiana, the ACLU of Texas, and the Educational Opportunities Section of DOJ's Civil Rights Division. From Houston, she is a proud graduate of its PK-12 Title I public schools.
Maria Thomson
Staff Attorney​
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Maria Thomson joined Nationalities Service Center in January 2024 as a staff attorney working on the Pennsylvania Immigrant Family Unity Project. At NSC, she provides pro bono representation to individuals in removal and bond proceedings before the Executive Office for Immigration Review and the Board of Immigration Appeals. Maria’s role is split with the Defender Association of Philadelphia, where she also serves as an immigration specialist to advise criminal attorneys and clients about the immigration consequences of criminal charges and assist in negotiating immigration-safe outcomes.
Prior to joining NSC, Maria also provided universal representation to immigrants in removal proceedings as an Oregon Worker Relief Fellow at Innovation Law Lab.
Maria graduated from the Temple University Beasley School of Law and Temple University School of Social Work with a joint JD/MSW degree in 2022, and she completed her B.A. at Swarthmore College in 2014. Maria got her start in immigration advocacy in 2012 as a volunteer at Annunciation House, a migrant shelter in El Paso, TX, and she continues to serve the organization as a member of the Board of Directors. She is fluent in Spanish.
Ryan Brunsink
Managing Attorney​
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Ryan is Managing Attorney for Removal Defense Programs at the Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center (PIRC). He oversees PIRC’s detention work including, the Legal Orientation Program (LOP), direct representation of vulnerable persons, representation through the National Qualified Representative Program (NQRP) for individuals deemed not competent to represent themselves before the immigration court, and PAIFUP representation.
Ryan joined PIRC as a staff attorney in 2015, and graduated, cum laude, from Pepperdine University School of Law in May of 2014. Ryan obtained a BA in Economics and Religious Studies at the University of Virginia in 2008 and remains an avid Wahoo fan.
Benjamin Hooper
Supervising Attorney​
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Ben Hooper is a supervising attorney with PIRC’s Removal Defense Programs. Since joining PIRC in January 2018, Ben has represented immigrants in Pennsylvania detained at York and Moshannon Valley, and other prisons in the Eastern United States. Ben’s work has focused on applicants for asylum and protection under the United Nations Convention against Torture, defending individuals with refugee status from removal, and advocating for immigrants with limited English-language proficiency.
Ben’s notable cases include B.C. v. AG United States, 12 F.4th 306 (3d Cir. 2021) and Ishmael v. AG United States, 77 F.4th 175 (3d Cir. 2023). Ben has been a legal aid attorney for 25 years; he previously worked for the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, MidPenn Legal Services, Columbia Legal Services and Legal Assistance of Western New York. Ben earned his J.D. degree from Northeastern University, and a B.A. in Political Science at Binghamton University. Ben lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with his wife, Victoria, and their dog and two cats.
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Yarima González Crespo
Supervising Attorney
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Yarima González Crespo joined the Removal Defense Program at PIRC in September 2022. She earned her J.D. from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, School of Law in 2019 and is admitted to practice law in Puerto Rico. As part of her J.D., she took courses in Immigration Law, Therapeutic Justice, Appellate Practice and Human Rights Advocacy and Humanitarian Issues. She also worked with the Juvenile Drug Court Program and volunteered with Amnesty International with the “Know Your Rights” campaign. As an attorney, she has done mostly criminal defense work, emphasizing in the appellate practice. Yarima has worked for various nonprofit organizations, mostly in the Human Rights field. She is a member of the Puerto Rico’s Lawyer’s Guild and candidate for the Federal Bar Exam for the San Juan, PR District. Yarima is a native Spanish speaker.
Yomayra Burgos
Coordinator​
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Yomayra is PAIFUP Coordinator for Removal Defense Programs at the Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center (PIRC). Yomayra Burgos joined PIRC in March 2022. Yomayra holds a Bachelor of Arts in Geography, Global Studies with minors in Latin@ Studies and Government and Political Affairs from Millersville University. She previously served as an intern for Community Outreach on the Jess King for Congress campaign where she worked primarily with Spanish-speaking constituents. For years, she volunteered with the Latin American Alliance by mentoring young women pursuing their higher educational goals through the Miss Hispanidad Scholarship Program. She is committed to serving the immigrant and refugee community. Yomayra is fluent in Spanish.
Matthew P. Egler DiFerdinando
Staff Attorney​
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Matthew P. Egler DiFerdinando, Esq. is a Staff Attorney at HIAS Pennsylvania. Matt joined HIAS PA as an Independence Foundation Public Interest Law Fellow in 2020. In his current position, he provides direct representation to individuals detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement throughout removal proceedings and before the Board of Immigration Appeals. Matt is a graduate of Boston College Law School and Loyola University Maryland. Matt is fluent in Spanish.
​Christopher Setz-Kelly
Program Manager Attorney​
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Chris Setz-Kelly joined HIAS Pennsylvania as the Asylum and Removal Defense Program Manager Attorney in 2022 after years of representing immigrant clients in the Philadelphia region. Chris regularly represents individuals in Immigration Court and has extensive experience in asylum law, motions to reopen, and minimizing the immigration
consequences of criminal convictions. Previously, he was an associate at the law firm Gian-Grasso, Tomczak & Hufe, P.C., where his practice focused on representing non-citizens in removal proceedings as well as in appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals and federal courts. Before that, Chris was a staff attorney at Nationalities Service Center.
Mikaela Wolf-Sorokin
Skadden Fellow​
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Mikaela Wolf-Sorokin joined NSC in September 2024 as a Skadden Fellow with the Pennsylvania Immigrant Family Unity Project (PAIFUP). Through her fellowship project, she provides free legal representation to individuals detained in ICE custody in Pennsylvania who have ties to Delaware and Montgomery counties. She also works with community partners to expand resources for pro se post-conviction relief petitions for immigration-related due process violations.
Before law school, Mikaela worked at the Political Asylum and Immigration Representation (PAIR) Project in Boston, Massachusetts. Mikaela graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School in 2024. Along with NSC Senior Staff Attorney Whitney Viets and Clinic Professor Elizabeth Bradley, Mikaela is the co-author of the law review article, Padilla’s Broken Promise: Pennsylvania Case Study. This article analyzes crimmigration advising across 20 counties in Pennsylvania and provides recommendations to improve criminal defense representation of noncitizens in Pennsylvania. Mikaela speaks Spanish.
Joseby Anne-Joelle Jeannot
Legal Assistant​
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Joseby Jeannot joined NSC in September 2024 as a Legal Assistant in the Pennsylvania Immigrant Family Unity Project (PAIFUP). In this role, Joseby supports attorneys by managing case files, preparing legal documents, and assisting clients with their immigration cases.
Prior to joining PAIFUP, Joseby gained experience working at the Burlington County Prosecutor's office, where she contributed to various legal projects. Set to graduate in spring 2025 with a Bachelor's degree in Law and Justice from Rowan University, Joseby is passionate about immigration law and criminal justice reform.
Fluent in French, English, and Haitian Creole, and proficient in Spanish, she brings valuable language skills to assist PAIFUP's diverse client base. Outside of work, Joseby volunteers with Ameri-STEAM and in her local community, dedicating time to community service and social justice initiatives.
Maria Sabatino
Law Clerk​
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Maria joined PIRC in September 2024 as a Law Clerk for Removal Defense Programs. After working with an international population for many years in a variety of roles and settings, including extensive experience teaching English to students from around the world, Maria realized her lifelong dream of going to law school. With a clear focus on immigration advocacy, Maria had the privilege of completing her legal externship at PIRC during the Summer of 2023.
The experience solidified Maria’s commitment to working with the most vulnerable immigrants, and she is thrilled to have found her way back to PIRC. Maria earned her B.A in English from Penn State, her M.A. in Italian from Binghamton University, and her J.D. from Widener Law Commonwealth. Maria is fluent in Italian, is working on improving her Spanish, and has basic communication skills in Modern Standard Arabic and Levantine Colloquial Arabic.
Adriana Vukmanic
Staff Attorney​
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Adriana Vukmanic joined the Removal Defense Program at the Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center (PIRC) in November 2024. In her role, she provides legal representation to individuals in removal proceedings through a variety of programs. She also conducts legal orientation presentations and individual consultations through the Legal Orientation Program (LOP).
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Before joining PIRC, Adriana served as a federal judicial law clerk for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. There, she assisted in drafting judicial opinions and conducting legal research in cases involving, habeas corpus, constitutional claims, and immigration law. She also worked as an Immigration Visa Specialist, preparing employment-based petitions and advising corporate clients on USCIS procedures. In addition, Adriana supports underserved families as a Family Advocate with Living Well Institute, helping to support clients as they navigate services across various systems.
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Adriana is fluent in Croatian, Serbian, and Bosnian, and has limited working proficiency in Russian and elementary proficiency in Spanish. She earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Widener University Commonwealth Law School, where she served as Internal Supervising Editor of the Widener Law Review and received a Certificate in Administrative and Constitutional Law. She holds a B.A. in International Relations and Modern Languages and Literature as well as minors in Russian and Religious Studies from Lehigh University. She is admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar.
Working Group
Andrew Baranoski: Exective Director, Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center
Jasmine Rivera: Executive Director, Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition
Steven Larín: Deputy Director, Nationalities Service Center
Cathryn Miller-Wilson: Executive Director, HIAS Pennsylvania
Laura Perkins: Emergency Response Organizer, Casa San Jose
Emiliano Rodriguez: Regional Director, Unite Here!
Vanessa Stine: Immigrants' Right Attorney, ACLU of Pennsylvania
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