Raul Garcia is the Legislative Director for Healthy Communities in the Policy & Legislation (PAL) department at Earthjustice. Raul focuses on protecting communities from pesticides and toxic chemicals. He also leads Earthjustice’s team of advocates dedicated to defending and improving federal safeguards for clean air, clean water, and against toxics exposure. Prior to holding his current position, Raul served as a Senior Legislative Counsel in the PAL department and focused on protecting the National Environmental Policy Act, as well as advancing environmental, health, and safety protections in infrastructure development.

Prior to joining Earthjustice, Raul developed a career working to protect the rights of underrepresented communities, including advocating for voting and civil rights, immigration benefits and labor and employment protections. Raul was an associate attorney at a law firm where he specialized in family and employment immigrant visa petitions, removal proceedings and asylum, among other immigration work.

Passionate about the socio-political advancement of the Latino community, Raul has worked for a number of organizations seeking to empower and defend the United States Latino community. He served as a legal clerk at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and worked at the Mexican Embassy, Laborers’ International Union of North America and the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement.

As a native of Mexico City who moved to Chicago at age 10, Raul sees environmental advocacy as an extension of his work protecting and advancing the interests of underrepresented communities. He remains involved in advocacy campaigns within the Hispanic community.

He is admitted to the Virginia Bar and received his JD from American University Washington College of Law in 2013. He is also a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Villanova University, where he received a full merit scholarship and majored in Global Interdisciplinary Studies and Political Science with a Certificate in International Relations.