Visit us at our new location: 2500 West William Cannon Drive, Ste 305, Austin, Texas, where we offer assistance with defensa de deportacion, habeas corpus, naturalization, residencia permanente, and waivers of inadmissibility.
Our Team
Mark Kinzler
Austin Immigration Attorney and Owner of Kinzler, P.C.
Since 2005, Austin immigration attorney Mark Kinzler has helped thousands of immigrants and their families navigate the complexities of the U.S. immigration system and pursue their goals in the United States.
Throughout his career, Mark has represented and advised clients in a wide range of immigration matters, both in private practice and as the director of a respected nonprofit immigration legal services program in the Austin area. He has also been a dedicated advocate for immigrant rights at the local and national levels, participating in efforts to challenge harsh and unjust immigration policies and protect the rights of immigrant communities.
Today, Mark continues to focus on developing legal strategies that allow the firm to respond to an increasingly complex immigration landscape. Working closely with the firm’s staff attorneys, he identifies ways to use federal court litigation and other legal remedies—including habeas corpus and mandamus actions—to challenge unlawful detention, government delays, and other barriers faced by immigrants and their families. He also advises on a broad range of immigration matters that come through the office, drawing on more than two decades of experience to help the legal team evaluate difficult cases, identify potential avenues for relief, and develop effective strategies for clients.
Under Mark’s leadership, the Law Office of Mark Kinzler remains focused on achieving justice for its clients and their families. His approach combines experienced legal counsel, creative problem-solving, and a commitment to ensuring that immigrants have strong advocates working on their behalf at every stage of the immigration process.
Marisol Salazar
Operations & Marketing Manager
Marisol Salazar serves as the Operations and Marketing Director at Kinzler Immigration, bringing nearly two decades of experience working with immigrant communities. She began her career in nonprofit immigration services in 2008, where she developed a deep commitment to supporting immigrant families and helping them navigate challenging and uncertain times.
In 2012, Marisol met attorney Mark Kinzler while working in the nonprofit sector and began working alongside him. When Mark transitioned into private practice in 2014, Marisol joined him in building what would become Kinzler Immigration. Since then, she has played an important role in the firm’s growth, overseeing its operations, staff support, internal processes, marketing, and community outreach.
Marisol is passionate about creating an environment where both clients and staff feel supported. After so many years in immigration work, she remains deeply committed to the immigrant community and proud to be part of a team dedicated to treating every client and family with compassion, dignity, and respect.
Cristina Zambrano
Supervising Attorney
Cristina Zambrano is a Supervising Attorney at the Law Office of Mark Kinzler, P.C. Licensed in Texas since 2011, Cristina has devoted her legal career almost exclusively to immigration law, representing individuals and families before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the immigration courts, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and federal district courts.
Cristina grew up in Del Rio, Texas, along the U.S.–Mexico border across from Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila. Growing up in a community where families, friendships, and everyday life often extended across two countries and cultures helped shape her interest in immigration law. She was drawn both to its humanitarian purpose—helping individuals build better lives for themselves and their families or seek refuge from violence and harm—and to the intellectual challenge of navigating one of the most complex and constantly evolving areas of law.
Cristina's practice includes removal defense, asylum and humanitarian relief, family-based immigration, waivers, naturalization and citizenship, BIA appeals, and federal district court litigation, including immigration habeas corpus matters. She particularly enjoys difficult cases requiring careful legal analysis, extensive research, and creative strategies.
As Supervising Attorney, Cristina mentors the firm's attorneys and works with them to evaluate complex cases and develop case and litigation strategies. She also provides guidance and training to the firm's paralegals.
More recently, Cristina has expanded her practice to include personal injury matters, particularly for Spanish-speaking clients. Whether working in immigration or personal injury law, she strives to help clients understand their rights and options while providing thoughtful, compassionate, and persistent advocacy.
Cristina earned her J.D. from St. Mary's University School of Law, where she received the Francisco Leos Award for Excellence in Clinical Studies, and her B.S. from The University of Texas at Austin. She is fluent in English and Spanish.
Meredith Soniat
Immigration Attorney
Since 2016, Meredith (“Meri”) has dedicated her legal career to advocating for immigrants and their families. She began her practice representing individuals held in immigration detention in rural Louisiana, gaining firsthand experience with the challenges immigrants face while navigating the U.S. immigration system.
In 2018, Meri moved to Austin and joined American Gateways, where she represented individuals detained at the T. Don Hutto Residential Center and provided removal defense representation to non-detained immigrants throughout Central Texas. Through this work, she developed extensive experience advocating for individuals and families facing some of the most difficult and uncertain moments of their lives.
Fluent in Spanish and French, Meri is committed to providing compassionate, client-centered legal representation. She believes every client deserves to be heard, respected, and treated with dignity throughout the legal process. She takes the time to understand each client’s individual circumstances and helps them navigate the complexities of U.S. immigration law with clarity and care.
Meri is deeply passionate about protecting the rights of immigrants and advocating for a more humane immigration system. Her work has been shaped by her commitment to ending immigration detention and addressing the lasting impact detention can have on individuals, families, and communities.
Today, Meri continues that mission in private practice, where she combines her experience, dedication, and compassion to help immigrants and their families understand their legal options and move forward with confidence.
Lucia Curiel
Immigration Attorney
Lucia Curiel has spent nearly a decade practicing immigration law, representing clients at every level of the immigration system, including immigration court, the Board of Immigration Appeals, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and federal courts.
As an immigrant from Argentina, Lucia understands firsthand what is at stake for the individuals and families she represents. She works closely with her clients to build clear, compelling cases while making sure they understand their options and what to expect at every stage of the immigration process.
For Lucia, effective representation means more than building a strong legal case. It means making sure her clients feel informed, supported, and confident that they have someone in their corner fighting for them.
Claudia Chavarria
Immigration Attorney
Claudia Chavarria has dedicated her legal career to serving immigrant communities and helping individuals and families navigate the complexities of the U.S. immigration system. Raised in the border communities of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, and El Paso, Texas, Claudia witnessed firsthand the challenges immigrant families face. Those experiences shaped her commitment to advocacy and continue to inform the way she approaches her work today.
Claudia began her legal career at a nonprofit organization, where she represented unaccompanied children in removal proceedings and pursued humanitarian forms of relief, including Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) and asylum. She now practices in the private sector, representing clients in a wide range of matters, including removal defense, family-based immigration, humanitarian relief, and federal litigation.
Claudia understands the obstacles her clients face and is committed to making sure their voices are heard throughout the immigration process.
For Claudia, effective representation means combining compassionate, client-centered counsel with determined advocacy at every stage of a client’s case.
Reception Team
Karen Soto
Anayi Galvan
Anayi Galvan
Billing Specialist & Main Receptionist
Anayi Galvan
Anayi Galvan
Anayi Galvan
Receptionist
Isis Guillen
Anayi Galvan
Isis Guillen
Receptionist
Support Staff
Paloma Hernandez
Paloma Hernandez
Paloma Hernandez
Senior Paralegal
Lucero Martinez
Paloma Hernandez
Paloma Hernandez
Paralegal
Jessica Arguello
Paloma Hernandez
Jessica Arguello
Paralegal
Zuhemy Juarez
Estrella Hernandez
Jessica Arguello
Paralegal
Erica Castillo
Estrella Hernandez
Estrella Hernandez
Paralegal
Estrella Hernandez
Estrella Hernandez
Estrella Hernandez
Administrative Assistant
Bennie Braswell
Bennie Braswell
Bennie Braswell
Legal Assistant/French Interpreter
SJD Team
Bennie Braswell
Bennie Braswell
San Juan Diego Catholic High School Student Interns
Call Austin Immigration Attorney Mark Kinzler today!
