Juan Rocha

Juan Rocha is a lecturer at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, where he teaches Southwest Border Crimes, a course examining federal border enforcement and its impact on noncitizens. His teaching and scholarship focus on the intersection of criminal and immigration law, commonly referred to as “crimmigration,” with particular emphasis on how criminal prosecutions and federal enforcement policies can affect an individual’s immigration status.

Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, Juan immigrated to the United States with his parents at the age of three. His family later obtained lawful permanent resident status following the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and Juan became a United States citizen in 1996. His personal experience as an immigrant has informed his longstanding interest in immigration policy and the intersection of the criminal and immigration systems.

Juan brings nearly two decades of experience as a practicing attorney, educator, author, and legal commentator. He began his legal career as an Assistant Federal Public Defender, representing indigent clients in federal court for six years and arguing cases before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. In 2013, he founded the Rocha Law Firm, where he represents clients in criminal and immigration matters.

Juan earned his undergraduate degree from Arizona State University and while attending Arizona State University (ASU), he studied abroad in Thailand and traveled around Southeast Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia). After graduating from ASU, he traveled to Western Europe and later Central and South America. In 2001, Juan moved to Chicago and attended the Harris School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago, where he had the fortune of being a student of then-Professor Barack Obama. He received his law degree from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law in 2006. 

A recognized voice on the intersection of criminal and immigration law, Juan has written extensively on the impact of criminal prosecutions and federal enforcement on noncitizens. His work has been published by the University of Chicago, the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Federal Bar Association, among other publications.

Juan has presented his work at conferences and academic institutions across the country. He was a keynote speaker at San Diego State University’s conference on “Crimmigration” and has served as a guest lecturer at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law and as a presenter for the Arizona Public Defender Association and the American Immigration Lawyers Association. His expertise has also made him a sought after legal commentator. Juan has appeared on local and national television and Spanish language radio programs discussing criminal and immigration enforcement and has been quoted by The New York Times on issues involving immigration and criminal law.

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Stephanie Rodriguez
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