Trade and labor rights expert to lead worker-centered research initiatives
The UC Irvine Labor Center has appointed Iza Camarillo as its research director.
Camarillo brings more than a decade of experience examining how U.S. trade and investment policy affects worker vulnerability across borders, with a background spanning international litigation, government advocacy, and policy research on labor rights, migration, and economic justice.
In her new role, Camarillo will direct the Labor Center's research agenda, focusing on the needs of Orange County’s diverse worker communities and labor unions. She will leverage her expertise in international trade law, labor policy and economic justice advocacy to produce research that advances worker protections and informs policy decisions.
“I’m excited to bring everything I’ve done and focus it here in Orange County,” Camarillo says. “My priority is to get to know the community, get to know the unions, and understand what workers actually need. I want to be a bridge between workers and policymakers, creating research that is worker-centered,credible and practical.”
Most recently, Camarillo led multi-jurisdictional research and advocacy initiatives, briefing Congress and international bodies on labor protections and migration linked to trade policy at Public Citizen in Washington, DC.
Her 2025 report, “Exporting Instability, Importing Exploitation,” documented how trade policy fuels displacement in Latin America and impacts migrant labor conditions in the United States, contributing to growing policy debates on trade, migration, and worker protection.
“Iza is the ideal person to lead our research agenda,” said Walter J. Nicholls, professor and chair of urban planning and public policy and faculty director of the UC Irvine Labor Center. “She combines rigorous scholarship with passionate commitment to worker rights, particularly for immigrant communities facing repression across California. Her skills as a researcher, legal scholar, and communicator will be invaluable as we work to advance the power of Orange County's working-class communities.”
Camarillo’s career includes defending governments in international disputes at international law firms, advising the Mexican government during USMCA negotiations, and partnering with governments and community organizations in Africa, Asia and Latin America on labor and trade policy reforms.
She holds law degrees from Universidad del Valle de México and Duke University School of Law, and an LL.M. in international business and economic law from Georgetown University Law Center focused on global trade.
Camarillo has served as a mentor for Georgetown Law's Trade Lab Practicum and collaborated with law school clinics at Cornell and Columbia on international litigation and human rights cases.
A first-generation immigrant, Camarillo has prioritized mentoring underrepresented students throughout her career. Her decision to join UC Irvine was partly inspired by working closely with a UC Irvine student, whose research contributions and lived experience underscored the importance of grounding policy research in community realities.
“Working with a first-generation student from UCI made the university very real for me,” she said. “Their depth of knowledge and lived experiences enriched our research on trade agreements and migration in profound ways.”
The UC Irvine Labor Center advances research, education and community partnerships that support workers’ rights and strengthen labor movements in Southern California and beyond. Through applied research, student engagement, and strategic partnerships with unions and worker organizations, the Labor Center addresses critical issues affecting working families and promotes economic and social justice.
— Mimi Ko Cruz