Attorney Biography

Jose Ignacio Pertierra

Founder | Immigration Attorney | Washington, D.C.

40+ Years of Immigration Experience

For more than four decades, attorney José Ignacio Pertierra has represented immigrants, families, refugees, and individuals facing some of the most consequential immigration matters of their lives.

A graduate of The George Washington University Law School, Mr. Pertierra has practiced law in Washington, D.C. since 1984.

Throughout his career, he has represented clients in immigration proceedings while also becoming a widely recognized voice on immigration law in the Washington metropolitan area and throughout the Spanish-speaking community.

A Career Dedicated to Immigration Law

Mr. Pertierra's practice has spanned virtually every aspect of immigration law, including deportation and removal defense, asylum, family-based immigration, adjustment of status, waivers, humanitarian relief, and complex immigration litigation.

His career has also included representation in nationally and internationally significant matters.

Mr. Pertierra was a member of the legal team representing Juan Miguel González, the father of Elián González, during the internationally publicized immigration and custody dispute concerning the six-year-old Cuban boy. Mr. Pertierra advocated for the father's right to be reunited with his son, who ultimately returned to Cuba with his father in 2000.

His work has also extended beyond traditional immigration representation to international human-rights matters, including advocacy involving victims of political violence and human-rights abuses.

A Trusted Voice on Immigration Law

For decades, Mr. Pertierra has worked not only to represent immigrants, but also to educate immigrant communities about their rights under U.S. law.

He became a familiar presence to Spanish-speaking families throughout the Washington metropolitan area through his longstanding appearances on Univision Washington, where he answered viewers' immigration questions and explained complicated changes in immigration law in accessible terms.

His work and career have been featured by national and local media, including The Washington Post, NPR, and Univision.

The Washington Post profiled Mr. Pertierra in a feature titled “Mr. Americas,” chronicling his immigration practice, community work, media presence, and involvement in the Elián González case. NPR later profiled him as a “veteran immigration attorney” whose work extended from high-profile cases to representing working families and refugees.

More Than Four Decades of Advocacy

Despite his involvement in nationally recognized cases, the foundation of Mr. Pertierra's practice has always been individual clients and families seeking an opportunity to remain together, obtain lawful status, escape persecution, or build a future in the United States.

After more than 40 years of practice, he continues to bring that experience to each client's case.

Education

The George Washington University Law School

Bar Admission

District of Columbia — Admitted 1984

Professional Recognition

Selected to Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers — Immigration Law, 2013

Selected Media & Notable Matters

Featured by The Washington Post in “Mr. Americas”
Profiled by NPR as a veteran Washington immigration attorney
Longstanding immigration-law contributor to Univision Washington
Member of the legal team representing Juan Miguel González in the Elián González matter
Extensive experience representing immigrants, refugees, and families before the U.S. immigration system

Highlights

Awards & Media Gallery

Selected recognitions and media features from the career of José Pertierra.

Media & Recognition

More Than Four Decades as a Voice for Immigrant Communities

National and local coverage of the career of José Pertierra, Esq.

Coverage

Featured by National Media

Select your coverage below and press "Read More" to expand each profile.

Notable Cases & Advocacy

The Elián González Case

2000 · National & International Attention

In 2000, José Pertierra served as a member of the legal team representing Juan Miguel González, the father of six-year-old Elián González, during one of the most widely followed immigration and custody disputes in modern American history.

The case attracted international attention and raised significant questions concerning immigration law, parental rights, and the relationship between the United States and Cuba.

Mr. Pertierra advocated on behalf of Juan Miguel González in his effort to reunite with his son. Elián ultimately returned to Cuba with his father in June 2000.

The case remains one of the most nationally recognized matters of Mr. Pertierra's career.

Advocacy in the Face of Intimidation

A Car Bomb Outside His Home

January 1996

In January 1996, while Mr. Pertierra was involved in human-rights advocacy concerning Guatemala, a car bomb exploded outside his Washington, D.C. home.

The incident was investigated by federal authorities and received coverage in The Washington Post. Mr. Pertierra continued his legal and human-rights advocacy following the incident.

Read The Washington Post Coverage →

Featured by The Washington Post

“Mr. Americas”

The Washington Post | April 2004

In a feature profile titled “Mr. Americas,” The Washington Post chronicled José Pertierra's career as an immigration attorney and his unusual reach beyond his Washington, D.C. law office.

The profile explored his nationally broadcast Spanish-language immigration program, his work with immigrant families, and his involvement in significant immigration matters — including the internationally publicized Elián González case. The headline described Pertierra as a “multinational institution.”

Read The Washington Post Profile →

NPR

“Attorney Advocates for Poor as Immigration Debate Continues”

NPR | February 2013

NPR profiled José Pertierra as a “veteran immigration attorney” whose career included both nationally recognized immigration matters and the everyday representation of immigrants and refugees.

The feature discussed his work in the Elián González matter, his representation of refugees, and his longstanding role educating the Spanish-speaking community about immigration law.

Listen to / Read the NPR Profile →

Notable Cases & Advocacy

Human Rights Advocacy in Guatemala

1990s · Human Rights

Mr. Pertierra's advocacy has also extended beyond traditional immigration representation. During the 1990s, he worked on matters involving alleged human-rights abuses in Guatemala and represented individuals seeking accountability for political violence during the country's internal armed conflict.

Among those matters was his representation of Jennifer Harbury, an American attorney and human-rights activist whose husband, Efraín Bámaca Velásquez, disappeared after being captured by the Guatemalan military.

The Washington Post profiled Mr. Pertierra's work in a 1996 article titled “He Seeks to Heal Guatemala.”

Read The Washington Post Article →

Professional Recognition

Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers

Immigration Law · 2013

José Pertierra was selected to Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers in Immigration Law in 2013.

Mr. Pertierra graduated from The George Washington University Law School and has been admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia since 1984.

Univision Washington

Decades of Immigration Education

Univision Washington

For years, José Pertierra has been a familiar voice to Spanish-speaking immigrant families throughout the Washington metropolitan area.

Through longstanding appearances on Univision Washington, Mr. Pertierra has answered viewers' immigration questions, discussed changes in U.S. immigration law, and helped immigrant communities better understand their rights and legal options.

His appearances have addressed issues ranging from deportation and immigration enforcement to family petitions, asylum, immigration reform, and pathways to lawful status.

Our Decades. One Mission.

From Landmark Cases to Every Family

From internationally recognized cases to individual families seeking an opportunity to remain together, José Pertierra has devoted more than four decades to the practice of immigration law.

Today, the Pertierra Law Office continues that tradition by representing immigrants and their families in removal defense, asylum, family immigration, humanitarian relief, lawful permanent residence, citizenship, and other immigration matters.

Schedule a Consultation Call Now: 202-783-6666