Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation. Texas Bar College. Galveston County Young Lawyer of the Year.
Sustaining Life Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation. 15 Year Fellow, Texas Bar College. Galveston County Young Lawyer of the Year.
Melody is a solo immigration attorney in Galveston County, who enjoys helping clients in their immigration journey to the US, be it temporary or permanent, whether joining family or pursuing opportunity. Prior to opening her law firm, Melody worked in Galveston for Lone Star Legal Aid, the third largest provider of legal aid in the United States. She holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Houston Law Center and Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas.
In addition to helping clients navigate complex immigration laws, Melody is passionate about enriching the law as a profession. As Chair Elect of the State Bar of Texas Immigration and Nationality Law Section, Melody enjoys serving with an amazingly dedicated and talented group of immigration attorneys and collaborating with other sections to provide programming and resources for the advancement of the profession.
Melody served from 2019-2025 on the Texas Supreme Court’s Grievance Oversight Committee, appointed Chair from 2022-2025. Melody previously served in multiple roles for the Galveston County Young Lawyers, Galveston County Bar Association, and on a District Grievance Committee. She has served on the Alvin Community College Paralegal Advisory Board since 2021. Locally, Melody serves alongside her daughter in the National Charity League Space City Chapter, in her daughter’s school, their church, and community. When not working or volunteering, Melody enjoys time with her family, usually on or near the water.
Roy Petty
Dallas
Roy Petty has practiced immigration law for more than 30 years, focusing on U.S. district court litigation against the government. He is Board Certified in Immigration & Nationality Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. In 2019, the Dallas Bar Association, Immigration Section, honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. He was elected as a Fellow of the Texas Bar
Foundation.
Roy has recently served on the Immigration Section Council, working alongside creative and energetic lawyers. He practices in Dallas with a dedicated team of experienced professionals.
He also has served on the Dallas Subcommittee of the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee of the Supreme Court of Texas and has testified as an expert witness in immigration matters in various Texas and U.S. district courts. Roy enjoys mentoring those new to the practice of immigration law and inspiring others to experience the satisfaction of litigating against the government.
Roy would like to continue educating Texas Bar stakeholders about the Texas Supreme Court’s proposals to open the practice of law to certain non-attorneys and large corporations and to allow large corporations to obtain equity interests in certain law firms.
Kaitlyn N. Dhar
Miami, Florida
Kaitlyn has practiced as an immigration attorney in Texas, Florida, Illinois, and Vancouver B.C. (Canada). Her practice focuses on employment-based immigration. She helps employers prepare immigrant and nonimmigrant visa petitions for foreign nationals seeking employment authorization in the U.S., by providing expert consultation on visas, compliance, and consular processing. She has supported employers of all sizes in a multitude of industries and fields, such as Fortune 500 multinational corporations and small to midsize employers in the finance, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, information technology, consulting, retail, and fashion industries; top-tier research and educational institutions; athletics field; third-party placement IT Consulting and Staffing industry.
In addition to her experience in employment-based immigration, she has diverse experience in other immigration matters including family-based immigration, student and visitor visa assistance, citizenship, removal defense, and relief for asylum seekers.
Kaitlyn was recognized by Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch in 2024 in the area of Immigration Law and Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” in 2020 and 2021. She has been called to speak at various industry and peer-related conferences on immigration topics.
She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and its South Florida chapter, where she serves in leadership as Second Vice Chair, its Board of Directors, along with various committees over the years.
As Council of the Immigration & Nationality Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, Kaitlyn would be committed to supporting members with the same
eagerness and determination to further the practice of Immigration Law.
Amanda Waterhouse
Houston
Thank you for considering me for a seat on the Council of the Immigration & Nationality Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. I have been practicing immigration law since 2007 and founded my own practice in 2021. As an immigration attorney, I have had the opportunity to practice in all areas of immigration law and especially enjoy “crimmigration” and federal court litigation.
I’m also committed to pro bono work, mentoring new attorneys, and volunteering with both AILA and the State Bar of Texas. I’ve had the great privilege to work with the Immigration & Nationality Law Section for a number of years now, writing the Fifth Circuit update for the quarterly bulletin as well as presenting at numerous CLE events. While I cannot say it has always been a joy to read and summarize hundreds of terrible Fifth Circuit opinions, I can certainly say that I’ve been glad to help the Section and hope that at the very least my work was useful to the members.
If elected to a Council seat, I fully intend to continue and expand my efforts to help inform and support the membership. I have no doubt that I can and will serve the Section well. Hopefully the members will agree and select me for this seat.
Karen Crawford
Austin
Karen Crawford has been practicing immigration law since 1993. She earned her law degree from Boston College, where she also received a Master’s in Social Work, focusing on Community Organizing, Social Planning and Policy. She obtained her undergraduate degree in psychology at Harvard University, graduating magna cum laude. She is the founding attorney of the Law Office of Karen J Crawford, PLLC, which was opened in September of 2000.
She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers’ Association Family Steering Committee, and of the State Bar of Texas Committee on Laws Relating to Immigration and Nationality. In the past, she has served as an adjunct clinical professor at the University of Texas Law School Immigration Clinic, and as Legal Director and later Interim Executive Director of American Gateways in Austin, and as chair of the City of Austin’s Commission on Immigrant Affairs and vice chair of the Joint Inclusion Committee.
Mauricio Garcia
Brownsville
Mauricio Garcia is the founder of the Law Office of Mauricio Garcia, PLLC, a practice focusing primarily on federal criminal defense and immigration. Growing up in a border community, Mr. Garcia understands firsthand the struggles and challenges that everyday immigrant families face. His main goal is to achieve justice for his clients and help them find their voice within the judicial system.
Mr. Garcia holds his Bachelor of Arts in Government, History, International Relations, and Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, his Masters in Public Administration from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and his Juris Doctorate from the historic Texas Southern University – Thurgood Marshall School of Law.
After graduating, he clerked for the Honorable Rolando Olvera of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas – Brownsville Division, where he gained valuable insight into the crimmigration process, as well as citizenship and naturalization law. Today, Mr. Garcia is proud to represent clients in the front lines of our criminal and immigration systems.
Mr. Garcia is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Texas Bar College, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Federal Bar Association, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Cameron County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Cameron County Young Lawyers Association, and the Cameron County Bar Association.
In 2023 and 2024, he was named Rising Star by the Super Lawyers®.
Tatiana T. Dennis
Odessa
Tatiana T. Dennis focuses her practice in West Texas primarily on Immigration Law, School Law, and employment law.
Tatiana assists individual and corporate clients with a wide range of immigration matters, including non-immigrant temporary work visas (e.g., E-1/2, H-1B, H-2B, H-2A, L-1, O-1), TN visas for Canadian and Mexican Professionals Under the USMCA, religious worker visas (R-1), student and exchange visitor visas (F-1, J-1), permanent residency (Family- and Employment-based), naturalization and citizenship. She also assists businesses with all matters relating to employment-based immigrant petitions and business immigration, including PERM labor certifications, and Form I-9 compliance.
In addition, Tatiana advises public and private schools on all matters pertaining to school law, employment and student policies, policy development, employee handbooks, employment matters, hiring international teachers, and Form I-9 compliance.
Prior to becoming licensed to practice law in 2013, Tatiana was a Texas-certified secondary school teacher of French language from 2005 to 2010. Tatiana is an immigrant herself, born and raised in Russia.
Memberships and Affiliations
Civic and Charitable
Ana Maria Schwartz: Champion for Immigrant Families
Houston
Ana Maria Schwartz, Principal at Schwartz Immigration Law, PLLC, has over 17 years of experience practicing immigration law, Ms. Schwartz operates from her offices in Houston and Austin, Texas, providing legal services to diverse communities. A graduate of Bryn Mawr College and Temple University’s Beasley School of Law, Ms. Schwartz combines her academic background with practical experience. She frequently speaks at national and regional conferences on a range of immigration topics.
She actively contributes to the legal profession and is able to advocate for marginalized groups through her service on the AILA Annual Conference Family Subcommittee, the AILA Online Course Committee, the Houston and Austin Bar Associations LGBTQ+ Committees, and the Houston Bar Association CLE Committee. Additionally, she is a member of the Immigration and Nationality, Women and the Law, and LGBT Law sections of the Texas Bar.
Her legal practice is deeply focused on keeping families together, utilizing every available tool to support her clients. She has a particular emphasis on assisting those with DACA status and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Ms. Schwartz has volunteered her time with American Gateways in Austin and BakerRipley in Houston.
Monica Saenz
San Antonio
A native of the Rio Grande Valley, Monica was born and raised in McAllen, Texas, where she developed strong awareness of the challenges facing the immigrant population. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Monica then pursued her Juris Doctorate from St. Mary’s University School of Law in 2008. She has been Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law since December 2014.
While in law school, Monica was the Executive Articles Editor and Staff Writer for The Scholar: St. Mary’s Law Review on Minority Issues. She also studied abroad at St. Mary’s Institute on World Legal Problems in Innsbruck, Austria. Monica joined DMCA as an Associate Attorney in December 2011 and was named a Partner in July 2023. She has volunteered with the Bexar County Staff Attorney’s Office, in addition to working with ProBAR representing unaccompanied immigrant children. Monica has experience in family-based immigration, naturalization, VAWA and U visa petitions, consular processing, and removal defense.
As DMCA’s head of the Consular Department, Monica has represented thousands of clients before U.S. embassies worldwide, guiding them through the visa application process and obtaining waivers for any grounds of inadmissibility that may apply. Monica served as the Chair of the San Antonio Bar Association’s Immigration and Nationality Section from 2015-2017. She is currently serving her second term on the Texas Board of Legal Specialization Advisory Commission. Monica is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the San Antonio Bar Association.