Carlos Moctezuma Garcia is a member at Garcia & Garcia Attorneys at Law, P.L.L.C. Carlos tries all types of immigration cases in addition to state and federal criminal cases. He’s argued before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Carlos is passionate about immigrant and civil rights issues and that’s why he serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild (NIPNLG) and as the Vice-Chair of the Texas Civil Rights Project (TCRP).
Carlos is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and recently served on the AILA National CBP Border Patrol Liaison Committee. Carlos has also been awarded several pro bono awards: the Texas Civil Rights Project (2016), ProBAR (2015), and the Hidalgo County Bar Association (2013).
Carlos grew up in McAllen, TX – one of 5 children, the 4 other siblings being much smarter than him. He practices law with his two brothers Raul (member) and Cesar (of counsel). Carlos and his siblings grew up in a Section 8 housing project known as “el campito.” The lessons learned there have helped him persevere during times of adversity. Carlos’ parents, who did not have a formal education, insisted that he and his siblings challenge themselves beyond college. He was the last of the five children to earn a graduate degree and joined his siblings in having what is supposedly called “good debt.”
Carlos’s interests include nachos, baseball, and social justice. It used to include sleep, but he has three crazy children who refuse to let anyone sleep. Carlos enjoys losing arguments to the most brilliant lawyer he’s ever met – and the one he married in 2008 (Elizabeth). He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin and Seattle University School of Law.
Memberships and Admissions:
- Texas Supreme Court
- Southern District of Texas
- Western District of Texas
- Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
- Immigration Courts
- Board of Immigration Appeals
- Texas State Courts and Courts of Appeals
- American Immigration Lawyers Association
- National Immigration Project
- Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association
- Hidalgo County Bar Association
Carlos has spoken at the following seminars:
TRLA’s The Practical Guide to Effectively Representing Non-Citizen Clients in Criminal Proceedings: 9/23/2011
Why Should I Care? Understanding the Intersection of Criminal and Immigration Law
Edinburg, TX
Texas Minority Attorney Program: 5/4/2012
Immigration Law: Lessons from Padilla v. Kentucky
McAllen, TX
Constitutional Warriors: HCBA Criminal Law Conference 2013: 2/1/2013
Immigration Law Basics
McAllen, TX
AILA Texas Chapter Spring Conference: 4/25/13
Advanced Federal Immigration Issues – Moderator
South Padre Island, TX
Mexican American Bar Association of Texas: 8/2/2013
Crimmigration Law
South Padre Island, TX
University of Texas at Austin Immigration and Nationality Law: 10/25/13
Crimmigration Law
Austin, TX
Federal Bar CLE/Hidalgo County Bar Association: 11/7/13
Crimmigration Law
McAllen, TX
Hidalgo County Bar Association Women’s Bar Section: 11/11/13
Basics of Immigration Law: A primer for Non-Immigration Practitioners
McAllen, TX
Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid: 11/20/13
Crimmigration: Case Studies of Immigration Consequences of Criminal Convictions
McAllen, TX
American Immigration Lawyer’s Association Immigration Law Conference 4/25/14
Crimmigration Law
Dallas, TX
State Bar of Texas Advanced Immigration Law: 2/5/15
Crimmigration: It’s Not Easy
Houston, TX
National Immigration Project ‘s Criminal and Immigration Bars to Humanitarian Relief 4/10/15
Expedited Removal & Reinstatement of Removal
Houston, TX
Hidalgo County Bar Association Criminal Law Section: 8/13/15
Immigration Law for Criminal Defenders (Hidalgo County)
McAllen, TX
ProBAR: 8/28/15
Ethical Issues in Immigration Law
Harlingen, TX
The University of Texas at Austin Immigration and Nationality Law: 10/6/15
Waivers in Family and Removal Cases
Austin, TX
National Immigration Project’s Immigration Court Technique and Strategy: 10/22/15
Social & “Soft” Science: Use of Expert Witnesses
Oakland, CA
Texas and MidSouth Chapters Fall 2016 Conference, 11/4/16
Litigator’s Update Panel
New Orleans, LA
Hidalgo County Bar Association Women’s Law Section: 11/15/16
Immigration Post-Election
McAllen, TX
Email: cgarcia@garciagarcialaw.com