Neha Desai

Neha Desai is the Director of Immigration at the National Center for Youth Law (NCYL) where she leads NCYL’s litigation and policy efforts on behalf of immigrant children. For more than a decade, she has been working with and on behalf of children, including youth in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, as well as immigrant children in federal custody. She began her legal career at the Juvenile Law Center where she represented children in dependency proceedings, drafted amicus briefs to federal courts, and served as a member of the legal team litigating the infamous “Kids for Cash” scandal. Desai has also represented children in federal immigration custody including victims of child trafficking and child asylum seekers. Additionally, Desai has worked abroad at NGOs focused on the human rights of women and children. Desai is a 2006 graduate of Berkeley School of Law and a 2002 graduate of University of Chicago.