Rita Medina is the Deputy Director of State Policy and Advocacy at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA). With nearly a decade of experience in immigration policy and advocacy at all levels, Rita has championed advocacy within federal and state budgets, campaigns to advance immigrant rights including: federal immigration reform, defense of DACA and DAPA, implementation of California’s AB 60 (Immigrant driver licenses) and efforts to reduce and restrict funding for immigration enforcement. Prior to her current position at CHIRLA, Rita was a Chief of Staff in the California State Assembly.
Rita has also worked directly on policy and advocacy in Washington, D.C. at both Community Change and at the Center for American Progress. During her time with Community Change, Rita worked with the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) coalition and coordinated federal advocacy and policy efforts with immigrant rights organizations across the country.
Rita is an alumna of the University of California Riverside and a proud product of the Inland Empire.