Jessica M. Hernandez was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. She received her bachelor’s degree in political science from St. Mary’s University in 2007. She is passionate about immigrant rights, and advocates for the access to justice for unrepresented communities. She began her career in immigration at Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services, assisting clients in removal proceedings filings and as part of the Legal Orientation Program. She later started working with Catholic Charities Dallas as an immigration case manager. In July 2020, Jessica became a program manager at the same organization, where she oversaw the Legal Orientation Program, Legal Orientation Program for Custodians, and the Citizenship program.

Hernandez has been a Department of Justice Accredited Representative since 2014 and has represented individuals in immigration proceedings before USCIS and EOIR. Hernandez has extensive knowledge of family-based petitions, naturalization processes, immigration petitions for survivors of crime, and removal proceedings.