Mary Bauer to Join Centro de los Derechos del Migrante as General Counsel

Transnational workers’ rights organization Centro de los Derechos del Migrante (CDM) has named Mary Bauer, an accomplished litigator, author and social justice leader, as its new General Counsel. Bauer brings three decades of experience serving immigrant communities as a civil rights and employment lawyer.

At CDM, Bauer will advance justice with migrant workers as part of CDM’s litigation team, representing migrant workers in courts and before government agencies. As General Counsel, Mary will also reinforce and strengthen CDM through in-house legal support to our organization. Bauer comes to CDM from the Southern Poverty Law Center, where she was Deputy Legal Director and founded the Immigrant Justice Project. Recently, at SPLC, Bauer sued the Trump administration, challenging restrictions against asylum seekers on the U.S.-Mexico border.

“For years, Mary has been an eminent leader in the space, advocating for immigrant communities and migrant workers,” said Rachel Micah-Jones, Founder and Executive Director of CDM. “Her expert knowledge and unparalleled litigation experience in this area will be invaluable in our fight for a just, equitable future of work that reflects migrant workers’ voices. We couldn’t be more thrilled that she’s joining our binational team.”

“I am thrilled to join the extraordinary team at CDM in the fight for justice for migrant workers,” said Bauer. “CDM has been on the cutting edge of advocacy for, and alongside, migrant workers since its inception, and I’m honored to be part of that critical mission. Its work has never been more important than it is right now.”

A graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, Bauer was previously Executive Director of the Legal Aid Justice Center, the SPLC’s Legal Director, and Legal Director of the ACLU of Virginia. She has testified before Congress as an expert on migrant worker issues and has authored numerous reports, including Close to Slavery: Guestworker Programs in the United States.

With offices in the United States and Mexico, Centro de los Derechos del Migrante is the first transnational organization to provide migrant workers with access to the educational, legal, and policy resources to defend their rights – reaching thousands of workers every year. CDM engages in strategic litigation in U.S. state and federal courts to advance the workplace and civil rights of migrant workers who are in the United States or have returned to Mexico.

Bauer will join CDM on October 28, 2019.

About Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc. (CDM)
Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc. (CDM) envisions a world where migrant workers’ rights are respected, and laws and policies reflect their voices. Through education, outreach, and leadership development; intake, evaluation, and referral services; litigation support and direct representation; and policy advocacy; CDM empowers migrant workers to defend and protect their rights as they move between their home communities in Mexico and their workplaces in the United States. For more information, visit: www.cdmigrante.org