Tireless Fighter for the Rights of Immigrants, Michael Maggio Remembered
Michael A. Maggio, an internationally recognized immigration attorney and fierce advocate for justice, passed away on February 10, 2008, after a ten-month battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Michael was the founder and managing partner of Maggio & Kattar, a world-renowned immigration law firm based in Washington, DC, where his work ranged from setting precedents in international human rights law to taking up the cause of the disenfranchised.
In addition to his impressive and life-touching career as an immigration attorney, Michael also served as President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association of DC and as an adjunct professor at various law schools. For the Tahirih Justice Center, Michael’s contribution cannot be adequately summed up. He was one of Tahirih’s founders, its first Director of Legal Services, a member of the first Board of Directors, and since then served on the Board of Advisors.
“He was a constant advisor and strategist,” recalls Tahirih Executive Director, Layli Miller-Muro, whom Michael mentored as a law student and encouraged during the formation of the Tahirih Justice Center. “He was always ready to spare nothing to bring justice to the lives of immigrant women. As a friend and advisor who provided relentless inspiration and support, he was a rare human being.”
