A Day in the Life of an Asylum Officer: Rewards, Challenges, and a Changing Profession

Marcos Pacheco is a former Asylum Officer from the San Francisco Asylum Office. During his tenure, he adjudicated asylum claims from around the world in the San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle offices. He also adjudicated credible fear claims both in person and telephonically for immigration detention centers around the United States. Currently, Marcos returned to work as the Immigration Coordinating Attorney at a nonprofit legal organization, La Raza Centro Legal, located in San Francisco, California. During his time at La Raza Centro Legal, he has successfully represented clients before the Executive Office for Immigration Review and the San Francisco Asylum Office. He has also assisted clients with humanitarian visas, adjustment of status, and naturalization before United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Marcos has a law degree from Gonzaga University School of law, a Master’s Degree in Political Science from San Francisco State University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in US Government from California States University of Sacramento.

Marcos will discuss his experience as an adjudicating asylum officer. He will describe a day in the life of an asylum officer, including the rewarding aspects, the challenges, how the profession has changed, and what practitioners can do to assist officers in the decision making process.