Zazy Ivonne López
Zazy Ivonne López is Senior Advisor for Immigration Enforcement at UnidosUS, where she supports the Protect, Defend & Advance Campaign and the organization’s immigration working group. With 18 years of federal civil service dedicated to civil rights investigations involving law enforcement oversight, detention conditions and institutional reform, she promotes rigorous oversight, collaborative coalition-building and strategic policy engagement. Her efforts aim to protect communities and enhance accountability throughout immigration systems.
Prior to joining UnidosUS, Zazy held executive leadership roles within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. As Director of the Immigration Enforcement & Detention Section, she oversaw investigations into ICE operations, reviewed use-of-force practices and developed agency-wide guidance addressing bias and profiling complaints. Her work blended investigative rigor with ethical, trauma-informed oversight, advising senior officials on enforcement strategies and driving reforms that emphasized transparency, accountability and constitutional protections. She received the DHS Secretary’s Award for Leadership Excellence in 2023 in recognition of her impact.
Earlier, Zazy served as a Senior Trial Attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, Special Litigation Section, where she led complex pattern-or-practice investigations into unconstitutional policing and corrections systems and advanced institutional reform through investigation, litigation and policy advocacy.
Throughout her career, Zazy has led with integrity, strategic vision and a sustained commitment to safeguarding constitutional rights. She was selected as a 2016 Marshall Memorial Fellow, joining a distinguished cohort of rising leaders committed to democratic governance and international cooperation. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. She brings principled and pragmatic leadership to advancing equity, transparency and accountability in immigration reform and beyond.