Local Immigrants Receive Awards for Outstanding Achievements

and Contributions to the Denver Community

On May 11, 2007, four Denver-based immigrants received the American Immigration Lawyers Association's 2007 Immigrant Liberty Awards for the incredible courage and resilience they have shown in their journeys to and within the United States, and their outstanding local achievements.

At an evening benefit for the RockyMountainSurvivorsCenter and the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, Sara Garrido, Mario Hernandez, Jorgelina Karner, and Dr. Herbert Rothenberg were recognized by an audience of over 150 lawyers, law students, social service providers and community leaders. Quynh Nguyen, a Vietnamese immigrant who is now a Channel 9 News reporter, was the Master of Ceremonies for the event.

Sara Garrido was born in Venzuela and came to the United States at age 15 to study English. She continued her studies at a community college in Miami where she excelled in her program and earned a scholarship to attend the University of Miami Nursing School. Garrido worked as a nurse in Miami for six years and gained lawful permanent residence. She then attended the University of Colorado Law School and now works as a public defender. Garrido continues to advocate on behalf of others who encounter the negative attitudes and legal barriers she faced while attempting to gain lawful residence and pursue a career of public service in this country.

Mario Hernandez, whose award was received on his behalf by his 14-year-old daughter Marilyn Hernandez-Stopp, was born in Mexico. Hernandez joined First Data Corporation as Director of Public Affairs at Western Union. In this position, Hernandez is responsible for developing and implementing public affairs strategies directed primarily at Latin American communities in and outside the United States.

Prior to joining Western Union, Hernandez was director of International Cultural and Educational Agreements and Programs at Mexico's Secretariat of Foreign Affairs. He worked in several posts with the Mexican federal government from 1984-1996. In 1998 he was named Spokesman for the Consulate General of Mexico in Denver. He worked towards a B.A. in Public Administration at El Colegio de Mexico, and received a Maters Degree in Public Policy and Public Administration from the London School of Economics. He participated in the first European Masters in Public Administration, a joint program developed by several European universities. Mr. Hernandez is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Public Affairs at the Graduate School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado at Denver, where he also held an instructorship on "U.S. Political Institutions" for the M.P.A. Program.

Hernandez is active in a number of local community organizations, participating in the Board of Directors of the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Centro San Juan Diego, the Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition, and Jobs for America's Graduates - Colorado. Appointed by Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois, Mr. Hernandez serves on the National Advisory Panel of the New Americans Policy Council. Mr. Hernandez lives in Lakewood, Colorado with his wife Linda. He has two children: 14-year-old Marilyn and 7-year-old Carl.

Jorgelina Karner was born in Argentina, after her pregnant mother fled Hungary in the early 1950's and found temporary refuge in Turkey. Jorgelina came to the United States with her husband at age 26. Karner became a U.S. citizen following a difficult nine-year period without documents. Jorgelina now works with victims of domestic violence and volunteers with the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network. She spends much of her time counseling detained immigrants and informing them of their rights. She documents detainee experiences of past abuse that may positively influence their abilities to remain in the United States. Karner's most rewarding experiences in the United States have been her pursuit of education and raising her daughter and two sons.

Dr. Herbert Rothenberg was born in Poland and immigrated to the United States where he graduated from the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago School of Medicine. Rothenberg is a board certified physician. He served as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force from 1954 to 1956.

As a faculty member at the University of Colorado, Rothenberg was appointed as Distinguished Clinical Professor of Medicine and Emeritus Clinical Professor. He was also commended as Outstanding Clinical Faculty. In addition, Dr. Rothenberg has been an administrator and clinician at RoseMedicalCenter, the VA Hospital, St. Joseph's, Fitzsimmons Army Hospital, and Denver General, where he was the Chief of Medical Services.

In addition to his local medical service, Rothenberg is actively dedicated to global health issues. He has worked in East Africa, the former Soviet Union and Cuba. In 1999, Dr. Rothenberg volunteered as a Medical Officer in the Stenkovec II Refugee Camp in Macedonia and consulted with the Medical School of Pristina in Kosovo. He has studied the medical aspects of torture at the Harvard School of Public Health. Since the inception of the Rocky Mountain Survivors Center in 2001, he has volunteered his expertise in examining survivors of torture. His reports are invaluable in developing support for asylum claims on behalf of local persons who were forced to flee their home countries due to torture and other forms of abuse.

Rothenberg believes a true physician's work encompasses many forms, never ceases and is not motivated by profit. His compassion, dedication and commitment to human rights led to his nomination for this award.

Founded in 1946, the American Immigration Lawyers association is comprised of almost 10,000 attorneys and law professors who practice and teach immigration law. Member attorneys represent thousands of families, U.S. businesses and industries, foreign students, entertainers, and asylum seekers, often on a pro bono, or voluntary, basis. AILA is a member of the American Bar Association.

The Colorado Chapter of AILA was founded in 1979. The chapter currently has in excess of 160 approved members committed to immigration law and policy.

The Rocky Mountain Survivors Center provides legal, health and psychosocial services to Colorado-based refugees, asylum seekers and other immigrants who cannot return to their home country without endangering their lives.

The Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network provides legal services to men and women in immigration detention in Aurora, Colorado, and, through its Children's Project, to abandoned or abused immigrant children throughout the state of Colorado.

The annual benefit was held at the Empress Chinese Restaurant on West Alameda.

For more information, please contact Regina Germain, Legal Director of the Rocky Mountain Survivors Center at rgermain@rmscdenver.org or 303-321-3252 or Mekela Goehring, Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network at mgoehring@rmian.org or 303-433-2812.