Prior to joining USCIS, Ms. Zengotitabengoa was employed with the Tahirih Justice Center. While this organization sells itself as helping women in difficult situations, it has taken numerous political positions that place it far outside the mainstream.

While there are numerous examples of the Tahirih Justice Center supporting left-wing policy, of most direct relevance is Tahirih Justice Center opposing several emergency border measures the State of Texas passed in2023. Tahirih accused Texas’ Operation Lone Star of engaging in racial profiling and that it will have a “disproportionate impact on BIPOC immigrant survivors of gender-based violence”:

In recent years, the Texas Legislature has focused increasingly on immigration enforcement at the border and across the state. Texas’s Operation Lone Star (OLS) launched in 2021 and has deployed thousands of law enforcement personnel to the border, making use of state laws, such as trespassing and smuggling, to engage in immigration enforcement. OLS has radically shifted the way that state and local laws are applied to immigrants and border communities, has resulted in racial profiling, and has led to the deaths of dozens of people through high-speed chases and dangerous border barrier infrastructure. During the 3rd and 4th Special Sessions of the 2023 Legislative Session, the Legislature responded to the Governor’s call to expand Operation Lone Star and passed 3 anti-immigrant bills that will have a disproportionate impact on BIPOC immigrant survivors of gender-based violence.

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In addition, Tahirih Justice Center has published the following “Commitment to Anti-Racism.”

Tahirih’s Commitment to Anti-Racism

Tahirih was founded on the belief that the welfare of each of us is inextricably bound to the welfare of all.  Our recognition of the oneness of our humanity inspires us to fight for the rights of immigrant survivors of gender-based violence. The obstacles in the way of realizing these rights are intersecting forms of oppression, including misogyny, racism, anti-Blackness, and White supremacy.

We reject these and acknowledge the harm that they cause. We believe that our laws and systems too often benefit those with power and privilege and must be transformed to advance gender equality, racial justice, and social equity for all.

We celebrate and honor our diverse beliefs and identities, and we believe we must end anti-Black racism and White supremacy in all its forms—in our justice system, in our communities, within our organization, and within ourselves.

Today, most of our leadership, staff, and Board of Directors identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC), the majority as women or gender non-binary, and nearly half identify as survivors of or witnesses to gender-based violence.

We see anti-racism and inclusion as integrated with our work and mission as advocates for immigrant survivors.

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Among Tahirih’s clients for direct legal and social services, 92% are Black, Indigenous, and people of color; 95% are women; and 100% are immigrant survivors of gender-based violence.

We developed a trauma-informed, client-centered, and innovative interdisciplinary service delivery model to ensure our legal staff, pro bono attorney volunteers, and social services staff walk with our clients as they rebuild a sense of control and feel empowered to make decisions in their pursuit of justice and safety.

Our public education and training programs enable front-line professionals to approach and support survivors with cultural humility and embrace their shared humanity.

Our public policy advocacy uses client feedback to center the needs of immigrant survivors as we seek meaningful, lasting systemic change to achieve justice and ensure the safety and well-being of immigrant survivors of violence nationwide.

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We see inclusion as an indispensable part of making a better, more creative, more effective organization and as part of our journey of continuous learning and improvement. We are by no means done, but we can share some of the progress we have made so far.

Tahirih Justice Center is a left-wing activist group that associates itself with critical race theory and opposes strong border enforcement by the State of Texas. That Colleen Zengotitabengoa worked there prior to joining the Department of Homeland Security says much about her ideological leanings.

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At a time when millions of Americans question our nation’s involvement in Ukraine’s war with Russia, Ms. Zengotitabengoa has greased the skids for Ukrainians to be paroled into the United States en masse. (In the context of immigration, “parole” allows an individual, who may be inadmissible or otherwise ineligible for admission into the United States, to be admitted into the United States for a temporary period at the discretion of the Secretary of Homeland Security for alleged “urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit”.)

In 2023, Secretary Mayorkas presented Ms. Zengotitabengoa and her team with a “Silver Service Merit Award” for her work on the “Uniting for Ukraine” initiative. These programs enable mass numbers of people from Ukraine to be paroled into the United States. The Biden Administration has justified the implementation of these mass parole programs on so-called “humanitarian” grounds.

Uniting for Ukraine and Lawful Pathways Legal Team: The Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) and Lawful Pathways Legal Team rendered exceptional service to the Department and the United States in advising on, developing, and coordinating the lawful establishment of innovative processes by which Ukrainians fleeing Russia's invasion and certain other noncitizens may be vetted and receive advance authorization to travel to the United States.

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The Biden Administration has repeatedly expanded and abused humanitarian parole to facilitate the massive influx of migrants into this country since 2021. Uniting for Ukraine was no exception, and Colleen Zengotitabengoa played a key role in the implementation of this program.

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Colleen Zengotitabengoa has made posts to Facebook thatsuggest she harbors views that would be out of step in a conservativeadministration.

For example, the date when she posted this pride flagprofile photo was the day after the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision,which legalized gay marriage in the US:

On November 12, 2016, Colleen Zengotitabengoa posted a picture of a safety clip. This post was just days after Donald Trump was elected to his first term.

PBS reported in November 2016 that the safety pins were being worn by leftists to show “solidarity with minorities after election”:

In the wave of reactions to Donald Trump’s election as the45th president of the U.S., safety pins have taken on a new meaning in the country.

Some Americans are wearing safety pins as a symbol of solidarity with victims of racism, homophobia and religious discrimination. People have spoken out on Twitter to say that their safety pins show that they are an ally to marginalized groups. 

“My #SafetyPin shows I will protect those who feel in dangerbc of gender, sexuality, race, disability, religion, etc. You are safe withme,” actor Bex Taylor-Klaus tweeted…

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Colleen Zengotitabengoa’s Facebook posts show that she is a left-wing ideologue and pre-disposed to oppose President Trump and his agenda.

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