Rios Immigration Defense, P.S.

Attorney Manuel “Manny” Francisco Rios III

Manny practices out of the Seattle office. He has been practicing immigration law since 1997, and his practice has been dedicated exclusively to immigration-related legal matters since 2001. Manny’s experience, knowledge, and leadership in the immigration field have made him a frequent local and national lecturer/speaker and author on removal, detention, and professional responsibility issues. Manuel currently serves or has served as the chair/co-chair of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Liaison committee, Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) Liaison committee, and Unauthorized Practice of Law/Professional Responsibility (ULP/PR) committee for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Washington Chapter. In 2009, Manny was recognized by the Latino Bar Association of Washington as its Miembro Exceptional, for his pro-bono work against notarios in the Latino community.

Manny has been the consultant attorney for the Mexican consulate in Washington on immigration matters since 2002, frequently appears as an “immigration law expert” on local and national television, and has been accepted as an “expert witness” by various courts involving complex immigration matters, not only on behalf of foreign nationals, but also on behalf of the State of Washington.

Manny is admitted to practice in the State of Washington, the United States District Courts in the Eastern and Western Districts of Washington, as well as the United States Courts of Appeal for the Ninth and Third Circuits.

Education:

• Gonzaga University School of Law, J.D. (1997)
• Arizona State University, BA (English Literature) (1994)

Professional Memberships and Achievements:

• National Hispanic Bar Association (2008-Present)
• National Immigration Project (2008-present)
• Mexican Consulate, State of Washington, Auxiliary Counsel, Immigration (2002-Present)
• Latino Bar Association of Washington (2001-Present)
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Liaison Committee, Chair (2001-2005)
• Washington State Hispanic Bar Association (1998-Present)
  
  • Outstanding Member Award (2009)
• American Immigration Lawyers Association (1998-Present)
  
  • Unauthorized Practice of Law/Professional Responsibility Committee, Washington Chapter Chair (2007-2009; 2014-2015)
  • Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) Liaison Committee, Washington Chapter Co-Chair (2005-2007; 2010-2012)
• Washington State Bar Association (1997-Present)
  
  • Practice of Law Board Immigration Sub Committee (2007)

Honors and Awards:

• Award of Merit, Washington State Bar Association, 2015
  
  • The WSBA’s highest honor and is given for a recent, singular achievement. It is awarded to individuals only — both lawyers and non-lawyers.
• Pro Bono Award in Impact Litigation, AILA-WA, 2015
• Ohtli Award, Government of Mexico, 2013
  
  • The highest award bestowed by the Mexican government to a non-Mexican citizen.
• “Miembro Excepcional” — Outstanding Member of the Year Award , Latino Bar Association of Washington, 2009

Attorney Deborah Niedermeyer
of counsel

Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Deborah is a 1976 graduate of Harvard/Radcliffe College (cum laude in Social Anthropology) and 1989 graduate of New York University of Law, where she received the Moncrieffe Award for outstanding scholarship in the area of race, values and the American legal process. Deborah began her legal career as a litigation associate at the Seattle office of Perkins Coie, specializing in consumer protection and unfair trade practice. Since 1993 she has primarily focused on asylum and deportation defense.

Combining her interests in consumer protection and immigration law, in 2014 Deborah cooperated with Rios Immigration Defense’s Manuel Rios to attack frauds perpetrated by non-lawyer providers of immigration related services, by bringing the first ever litigation under Washington’s Immigration Services Fraud Prevention Act. The successful completion of this pro bono litigation led the Washington State Bar Association, in 2015, to select Deborah and Manuel for its highest award, the “Award of Merit”

Deborah has been of counsel at Rios Immigration Defense since 2015 where she continues to work on challenging legal issues and theories in deportation defense, and on consumer protection cases, particularly those involving the fraudulent provision of professional services.

Attorney Benjamin Stein

Benjamin Stein joined Rios Immigration Defense in February 2020. Prior to joining Rios Immigration Defense, Benjamin was the legal director at Immigrant Justice Idaho in Boise, Idaho. Benjamin has been practicing immigration law since 2013. Benjamin has extensive experience in both affirmative applications before the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and removal defense cases before the Executive Office for Immigration Review. Additionally, Benjamin has substantial federal litigation experience. He has argued several cases in federal courts, including the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Benjamin has been recognized and testified as an “immigration expert” in federal district court.

Benjamin is devoted to providing aggressive advocacy for his clients, and also ensuring that immigrants have competent representation in immigration court. As a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Benjamin has made multiple trips to the United States-Mexico border to represent Central American mothers and children fleeing violence. Benjamin is also committed to civic engagement and community advocacy.

Benjamin has been admitted to practice law by the states of Minnesota and Idaho. He has also been admitted by the United States District Court for the District of Idaho, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth and Tenth Circuits. Benjamin is a member of the AILA Washington Chapter, and also the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild.

Benjamin is a fluent Spanish speaker.