Bequest Language

Anthony Pelino is a graduate of Boston College and Boston College Law School. His dedication to pro bono services and providing legal services to indigent immigrants spans nearly three decades. Since 1994, he has worked on a wide variety of immigration cases, with a focus on human rights-based forms of relief and deportation defense. Anthony’s journey with the Florence Project began in 1999 when he became the Project’s first out-of-state pro bono attorney. Impressed by the Florence Project’s work and mission, Anthony made two trips to Florence in 2000 to represent several detained immigrants and immediately recognized the immense need for attorneys in rural Arizona. In 2001, he relocated from Massachusetts to Arizona and continued his immigration practice representing immigrants facing deportation. Since that time, Anthony has successfully litigated over one hundred complex pro bono matters for the Florence Project as well as hundreds of bond and merits hearings. He was the recipient of the Florence Project’s first Lifetime Achievement Award and was named the Pro Bono Attorney of the Year by the Political Asylum Immigration Representation (PAIR) Project of Boston. In 2017, Anthony came on staff as a contract attorney to assist the Children’s Program with a surge in asylum interviews. He joined the Florence Project team full time in 2018 and has managed the Border Action Team, the Mental Health Team, the Phoenix Legal Action Network (PLAN), the Direct Representation Team, and the Asylum Program. In 2019, he became the Florence Project’s first Adult Program Manager wherein he oversees all teams and initiatives serving adults, and in 2021, he became the Florence Project’s first Mission Engagement Manager. In his free time Anthony enjoys spending time with his family and traveling. He has lived in Cairo, London, Cambridge, MA, and both Florence, Italy and Florence, AZ.