Elizabeth Hawkins was based in El Salvador as a Critchfield Fellow, studying the push factors that lead so many to emigrate and seek asylum in the United States, with a focus on women who have experienced gender-based violence. She documented the impact of changing US immigration policy on the lives of Salvadorans and connecting with human rights advocates and others who are working to improve conditions for women and their families. After graduating from the University of Washington School of Law in 2010, Elizabeth founded a humanitarian immigration law practice in Seattle. She has represented hundreds of individuals and families as they navigate the US legal system, with an emphasis on advocating for those who have been subjected to abuse. Prior to law school, Elizabeth majored in English literature at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, and studied abroad in England and Spain.
Dispatches from Elizabeth Hawkins
BLOG: US State Department downgrades travel alert for El Salvador
Although homicides have decreased, the timing remains suspicious.
Seeking asylum in Mexico
Central Americans continue making their way north despite increasing barriers.
Inside El Salvador’s justice system
A visit to a tribunal for organized crime generates more questions than answers.