Lesly Tayes
With KIND, Lesly Tayes assumed her current role as Staff Attorney of International Programs in January 2023. In this role she provides guidance to qualifying parents and legal guardians in the United States who are in certain immigration categories an opportunity to apply for their qualifying children to reunify with them in the United States, helping them to prepare the CAM application. Moreover, as Guatemalan Lawyer she accompanies the qualifying children thought the CAM process, preparing them to attend their refugee interview.
Lesly started at KIND as a Family Outreach Supervisor in October 2022; in this role, she led 5 outreach specialists based in Central America, Mexico, and the United States, supporting the efforts to reunify almost 3,000 forcibly separated families during Trump's administration.
Lesly began her career in human rights defense in 2012, defending and promoting workers' rights and supporting Genocide case research at "Oficina de Derechos Humanos del Arzobispado de Guatemala". Moreover, she has been part of Justice in Motion's defender network since then, joining the on-the-ground search team to look for forcibly separated parents across remote areas from Guatemala to connect them with their separated children.
Lesly has combined her human rights work with public service, attending jobs as Consultant for some public offices like "Secretaria de Asuntos Administrativos y de la Presidencia de la República de Guatemala", "Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones" and "Superintendencia de Administración Tributaria".
Lesly is a former elementary school teacher since 1998, she earned her law degree from Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala in 2005 and finished her master studies in tax administration law in 2008, at the same University.
