Based in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, the Law Office of Belia Peña works with immigration clients nationwide on matters related to immigration & naturalization, family-based immigration matters, and deportation defense, to name a few types of cases.

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Ms. Peña's team will relentlessly pursue your case and develop solutions in complex instances. Immigration policy and law is under perpetual debate and change. We stay current on the constant shifts to better serve our clients. We consider not only the laws of today, but those of the future which may-or may not-help you.

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Our Story

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Ms. Peña has been practicing immigration law since 2017. Born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, she was exposed to diverse backgrounds via her upbringing and life experiences.

The smells of a hospital, nursing home, or home hospice might repel some people. But, to Ms. Pena's mother, the smells of such places drove her into action. Her mother was a healthcare worker who provided medical care to immigrants and residents of the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) for three decades. Day by day, her mother often traveled from Starr County through Hidalgo and Cameron counties to visit patients in their homes usually because they were too ill or poor to travel to the doctor's office. She did not stop there, though. Ms. Pena's Mother kept in touch with her patients and, quite often, their neighbors who eventually became patients. Her mother saw generations of families give birth, achieve success, and pass away during her lifetime. She kept vigil with families during their time of need and celebrated their moments of happiness.

Ms. Peña's father traveled extensively and taught her the value of learning about different cultures and serving those in our RGV community. He often told stories about the importance of building this community. He called it giving back because we, as a family, received so much from it. Together, her parents taught her to cherish the diversity in our beloved RGV. The value of giving back was central to her upbringing because they often met and saw the true hearts of the people from this area. They wanted to help people establish strong family ties because they knew that those ties allowed people to go beyond surviving. Her parents knew that when a family unit sticks together, they could thrive.

Ms. Peña vows to continue their legacy and become the best immigration lawyer she can be so that she can empower immigrant families to thrive and build foundations in the Rio Grande Valley and throughout the United States.

You deserve to be represented by someone who was taught by example what it means to persist EVERY.SINGLE.DAY to accomplish what we need to accomplish to thrive in the US.

 

Practice Areas

• ​Immigration 95%

• Federal Criminal Cases (no state criminal work) 5% – Judicial Appointments only under the Criminal Justice Act which ensures that the right to counsel guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment is enforced on behalf of those who cannot afford to retain counsel.

 

Bar Admissions

• New Mexico, 2017

• U.S. District Court District of New Mexico, 2017

• U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas, 2018

• U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, 2021

 

Education

• University of Miami School Law, Miami, Florida

  • J.D.

• Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

  • B.A.

  • Major: Latin American Studies

 

Professional Associations And Memberships

• Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Member, Present

• ​Hispanic National Bar Association, Member

• American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Member, Present

• Federal Bar Association-Southern District of Texas, Member, Present

• New Mexico Bar Association, Member, Present

• Fifth Circuit Bar Association, Member, Present

 

Classes & Seminars

• Litigation Strategies for Improper Age Redeterminations, Children's Immigration Law Academy, 05/03/2021 to 05/04/2021

• Advocating Against the Removal of Unaccompanied Children, Children's Immigration Law Academy, 05/01/2020

• Child Age Outs & Federal Litigation Strategies, Children's Immigration Law Academy, 05/01/2020

 

Pro-Bono Activities

• South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Project (PROBAR), 2019 to May 2022

 

Languages

• English

• Spanish