Luis is one of the most recognized DACA attorneys in the United States. In November 2019, as co-counsel in DHS v. Regents of the University of California, he became the first undocumented attorney to sit at counsel table before the U.S. Supreme Court — second chair to Ted Olson — and helped strike down the Trump administration's decision to end DACA.
As a partner leading Novo Legal Group's Seattle office, I focus exclusively on immigration litigation. With extensive experience in trial and appellate cases, I have tackled a wide variety of immigration-related matters — constitutional issues, immigration detention challenges, the immigration consequences of criminal convictions, and waivers of inadmissibility. My work extends to high-profile constitutional litigation involving equal-protection and due-process claims, as well as representation in governmental investigations.
I am a DACA recipient — born in Mexico and brought to the United States at age one, I grew up undocumented in the San Francisco Bay Area. I served as co-counsel in the landmark case DHS v. Regents of the University of California, which led the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down the Trump administration's decision to end DACA. The PBS VOCES documentary "From Here / From There" tells the story of my journey from undocumented child to Supreme Court advocate.
At Novo Legal Group, I remain committed to impact litigation and passionately advocate for expanding immigrant rights and protections across the United States.
Federal trial · Appellate · Constitutional · Detention challenges
Supreme Court · DACA defense · Equal-protection litigation
University of Minnesota Law (adjunct) · National Immigration Project (board)
Past results don't predict future ones. Every case is its own facts. These are here so you have a sense of the work.
Co-counsel in Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California; the Supreme Court's June 2020 ruling blocked the rescission of DACA, preserving protections for roughly 700,000 recipients.
Joined Ted Olson at counsel table for the November 2019 argument — widely reported as the first undocumented attorney to appear before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Lead counsel for Daniel Ramirez Medina, the first DACA recipient detained under the 2017 enforcement shift; a federal court ordered his release, and a January 2023 settlement with the Justice Department secured a four-year stay of deportation with work authorization.
Represented DACA recipient Xóchitl Santiago, released in October 2025 after federal judges ruled that detaining DACA recipients with no stated justification violates due process.