Awards

Distinguished International Service Award - 2003

Presenter: Patrick O'Meara

About Mary Meg McCarthy

Mary Meg McCarthy is the Executive Director of Heartland Alliance’s National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), one of the nation’s leading immigrant and human rights advocacy organizations. Under her guidance, NIJC has grown to a staff of 50 who serve 10,000 immigrants and their families each year through an unparalleled network of more than 1,500 pro bono attorneys. Moreover, NIJC is a founding member of the Illinois Task Force on Unaccompanied Immigrant Children, the Freedom Network, and the Department of Homeland Security-Nongovernmental Organization Enforcement Working Group. McCarthy has testified before congressional committees on human rights and immigration detention reform, speaks frequently at national and international conferences on immigration law, and is regularly quoted in The New York Times as well as the Los Angeles Times.

MCarthy has met with members of the Mexican Congress, academics, and civil society to address migration issues facing the region. She is a commissioner for the American Bar Association Commission on Immigration and a member of the Midwest Coalition for Human Rights steering committee. Earlier in her career, she worked in Chile helping local communities safeguard the rights of individuals living under a dictatorship. McCarthy has excelled throughout her career, helping thousands of individuals each year to this day.

In recognition of her exceptional leadership and enduring international service, McCarthy was presented with the Distinguished International Service Award by Patrick O’Meara in 2003.