Photo by Leniece Flowers

In ten years, Nilou represented over 230 asylees and other clients in complex, multi-year immigration cases with a +95% success rate. Through Migra Watch, they trained over 2,000 immigrant community members and allies to organize against ICE raids.

Nilou built coalitions for successful abolitionist policy campaigns, and she led the efforts to win over $50 million in local and statewide funds for legal representation for detained and non-detained immigrants fighting deportations. 

Nilou’s community-centered leadership has been recognized through several recent awards, including the BIPOC Pioneers in Justice Award from Levi Strauss Foundation (2021), the Community Impact Award by the Iranian American Bar Association of Northern California (2022), the Community Impact Award by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors (2022), the Bernstein Parker Activist Writer Fellowship by the Mesa Refuge (2023), and the Unsung Heroes Award from Resonance Philanthropies (2023). 

Prior to founding Pangea, Nilou lived and participated in various movement struggles in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., New York, Argentina, and Sierra Leone. They graduated from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service and Georgetown Law, and they have two decades of training by activists, undocumented organizers, and community leaders in dismantling oppressive systems. 

Nilou loves to dance and is the proud single mother of a magnificent little freedom fighter.

Nilou Khonsari interpreting for several client speakers at Mayor’s Press Conference, San Francisco City Hall, 2016

FELLOWSHIPS, AWARDS, AND HONORS

• “Supporting Staff Wellness and Building Back Better,” Northern California Grantmakers, September 23, 2021.
  https://ncg.org/events/lsfn-signature-event-wellness-360-supporting-staff-wellness-and-building-back-better.

• “Sponsoring Afghan Refugees to the U.S. after Kabul Airport Bombing,” The Paw Print, September 27, 2021.
  https://woodsidepawprint.com/top-stories/2021/09/27/sponsoring-afghan-refugees-to-the-u-s-after-kabul-airport-bombing/.

• “Immigration under Trump,” SF Chronicle, August 28, 2019.
  https://www.ctinsider.com/politics/article/Bay-Area-political-events-Immigration-district-14378954.php.

• “Feds will not immediately revoke citizenship,” Mission Local, March 28, 2019.
  https://missionlocal.org/2019/03/feds-drop-denaturalization-charges-against-bissap-baobab-owner-trouble-still-ahead/.

• “Migrant teens are being physically blocked from applying for asylum.” VICE News, December 10, 2018. https://www.vice.com/en/article/3k9jnb/migrant-teens-are-being-physically-blocked-from-applying-for-asylum.

• “California Clinic Screens Asylum Seekers for Honesty,” Scientific American, July 16, 2018.
  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/california-clinic-screens-asylum-seekers-for-honesty/.

• “Medical Clinics That Treat Refugees Help Determine The Case For Asylum,” KCUR/NPR, July 11, 2018.
  https://www.kcur.org/2018-07-11/medical-clinics-that-treat-refugees-help-determine-the-case-for-asylum.

• “El Salvador Pressures U.S. To Reunite Migrant Families,” NPR, June 23, 2018.
  https://www.ideastream.org/news/2018-06-23/el-salvador-pressures-u-s-to-reunite-migrant-families.

• “It’s time to hire immigration lawyers.” SF Chronicle, February 2, 2017.
  https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/It-s-time-to-hire-immigration-lawyers-10904532.php.

• “This Salvadoran Mother of 3 Survived Years of Abuse – Only to End Up Trapped in a Uniquely American Nightmare.” Mother Jones, July 28, 2017.
  https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/07/this-salvadoran-mother-of-3-survived-years-of-abuse-only-to-end-up-trapped-in-a-uniquely-american-nightmare/.  

• “Trump administration targets parents who paid to smuggle relatives” June 30, 2017.
  https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/politics-government/article158953664.html.

• “Responding to immigrant needs: Activists, attorneys form hotline for reports of ICE raids.” The Daily Journal, May 8, 2017.
  https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/responding-to-immigrant-needs-activists-attorneys-form-hotline-for-reports-of-ice-raids/article_946ff174-45fe-5745-8f62-af4ac82c6505.html.

• “City seeks funds to protect immigrants from deportation.” Golden Gate Express, February 16, 2017. https://goldengatexpress.org/75688/latest/news/san-francisco-seeks-funds-to-protect-immigrants-from-deportation/.

• “San Francisco braces for possible immigration raids.” 48 Hills, February 10, 2017.
  https://48hills.org/2017/02/san-francisco-braces-for-possible-immigration-raids-training-volunteers/.

• “Niloufar Khonsari Is Winning an Unlikely Legal Battle.” Yahoo!News, February 2, 2017.
  https://news.yahoo.com/niloufar-khonsari-winning-unlikely-legal-000000715.html.

• “City Officials Clash Over Money for Immigrants’ Legal Defense.” SF Weekly, December 21, 2016.
  https://www.sfweekly.com/news/news-news/city-officials-clash-money-immigrants-legal-defense/.

• “Legal Aid Advocate.” Voices for Civil Justice, November 29, 2016.
  https://voicesforciviljustice.org/person_type/legal-aid-advocate/page/17/.

• “San Francisco Lawyers Strategize for Trump Era Legal Battles.” Mission Local, November 28, 2016.
  https://missionlocal.org/2016/11/lawyers-strategize-for-post-trump-legal-battles/.

• “Identifying a Need and Starting a Nonprofit Organization.” Texas Commission to Expand Legal Services, December 1, 2015. https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1294241/Background-Materials-for-TX-Commission-to-Expand-Legal-Services.pdf.

• “The Immigrants Excluded by Obama’s New Plan.” The New Yorker, Nov. 22, 2014.
  https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/immigrants-excluded-obama-plan

• “It’s time to hire immigration lawyers”. CT Insider, Feb. 2, 2017.
  https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/It-s-time-to-hire-immigration-lawyers-10904532.php.

• “Bloquean bus con inmigrantes” (They block a bus with immigrants). Telemundo New York, August 6, 2014. https://www.telemundo47.com/noticias/inmigracion/bloquean-bus-con-inmigrantes/86566/.

• “New Credible Fear Standard.” Immigrant Legal Resource Center, June 30, 2014.
  https://www.ilrc.org/new-credible-fear-standard. 

• “Does Homeland Security’s Tough New Screening Process Put Asylum Seekers at Risk?” The Nation, June 3, 2014. https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/does-homeland-securitys-tough-new-screening-process-put-asylum-seekers-risk/.

• “The Nation and Its Peoples: Citizens, Denizens, Migrants.” Routledge, 2014.
  https://tinyurl.com/niloukhonsari

• “The Construction of the Maras: Between Politicization and Securitization.” Graduate Institute Publications, September 12, 2013. https://books.openedition.org/iheid/747?lang=en.

• Letters to the Editor. CT Insider, August 11, 2013.
  https://www.ctinsider.com/opinion/letterstoeditor/article/Letters-to-the-editor-Aug-12-4724588.php.

• “Padre de tres hijos lucha por quedarse en Estados Unidos” (Father of three children fights to stay in the United States). Huffington Post, August 6, 2013. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hombre-lucha-quedarse-estados-unidos_n_3714202.

• “ICE To Release Mother From Custody In Advance Of Rally.” The San Francisco Appeal, May 22, 2013.
  http://sfappeal.com/2013/05/ice-to-release-mother-from-custody-in-advance-of-rally/.

• “San Jose man out of immigration jail for Christmas.” The Mercury News, December 19, 2012.
  https://www.mercurynews.com/2012/12/19/san-jose-man-out-of-immigration-jail-for-christmas/.