Angélica César

Angélica César is the 2025–2027 Aryeh Neier Fellow with the United States Program. Her work focuses on exposing human rights violations against people in immigration detention and examining the broader impacts of U.S. immigration enforcement.

Prior to joining Human Rights Watch, she externed with the ACLU’s Human Rights Program, supporting litigation and advocacy on law enforcement use of force, excessive sentencing, and parole justice. She also clerked with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, where she investigated conditions in immigration detention facilities and Customs and Border Protection processing centers.

Through Berkeley Law’s Human Rights Law Clinic, Angélica contributed to cross-border immigrant and refugee rights litigation before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Supreme Court of Mexico. She also provided pro bono support for parole hearings at the Central California Women’s Facility through Berkeley Law’s Post-Conviction Advocacy Project, as well as representation for people in immigration detention through the Berkeley Immigration Group.

Angélica holds a JD and a Certificate of Specialization in International Law from UC Berkeley School of Law, as well as BAs in Transborder Studies and Political Science from Arizona State University. She has passed the bar exam and is awaiting admission to the New York State bar.