Luciana Dahdah
Collaborative on Global Children's Issues
Luciana Dahdah (G’25) is a fellow (previously a 2025 student fellow) at the Georgetown University Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues, focusing on analysis, documentation, and policy response to child–family separation in the context of U.S. immigration enforcement. She approaches migration not only as a career but as a personal calling, and children have always been at the heart of her work.
Her experience spans migration policy, protection, and program implementation, with an emphasis on Latin America and U.S.-Mexico dynamics and improving cross-border coordination for children and families on the move. She earned her Master of Arts in International Migration and Refugees from Georgetown University as part of the program’s inaugural cohort. Additionally, she holds a graduate diploma from Instituto Mora (Mexico’s National Research Institute) on the rights of children on the move.
- Recipient of Mexico’s National Scholarship for Master’s/Ph.D. studies abroad, supporting her focus on improving cross-border responses for migrant children and adolescents.
- During her time at Georgetown University, she worked with UNHCR’s External Relations teams in Washington, DC. and Mexico City; served as a research fellow with the Tent Partnership for Refugees; and partnered with UNICEF’s Migration and Displacement Unit for her final capstone project.
- Member of UNICEF Next Generation USA, a community of emerging leaders and change-makers supporting UNICEF’s work to help shape a better future for children.
- Joined the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Family Reunification Task Force in September 2023, established under the Biden administration to reunite families separated under the Zero Tolerance policy.
- Worked at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) on the Latin America and the Caribbean team, supporting regional democracy efforts through program coordination and operational support.
- Worked as an immigration paralegal during the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting a caseload primarily serving migrant women and children.
- Served as a junior adviser to Guatemala’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York City, supporting engagement in multilateral migration processes and observing negotiations related to the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.