Driftnery Martinez

Driftnery Martinez is a Senior Program Associate for the Immigration Court Helpdesk (ICH) and Family Group Legal Orientation Program (FGLOP). Driftnery provides program oversight and technical assistance support to nonprofit legal service providers that educate individuals and families at risk of deportation about immigration court proceedings. Driftnery originally served as a Senior Program Associate in the ICH and FGLOP at the Vera Institute of Justice. Before joining Vera in 2021, Driftnery was a Program Manager at the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) from 2017 - 2021. There, she oversaw ActionNYC immigration legal services programs in community-based organizations, ensuring that immigrant New Yorkers could access free and safe immigration legal help. Prior to MOIA, Driftnery served in various roles that promoted the well-being and rights of immigrants, including: director of immigrant services at Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement and immigration administrative assistant at the International Rescue Committee in New York and New Jersey, providing direct services to refugees, asylees, and other eligible immigrants applying for immigration-related benefits. Driftnery holds an MA in international affairs from the New School and a BA in government from Lawrence University.