LaGuardia Graduate Tony Alarcón Advocates for Immigrant Rights on the National Stage
LONG ISLAND CITY, NY (February 10, 2026) — LaGuardia Community College/CUNY graduate Antonio (Tony) Alarcón, 31, is fighting for immigration rights on a national level. His career is dedicated to amplifying the voices of families facing systemic barriers, low-wage workers, undocumented youth, queer and trans people of color. His commitment to electoral justice includes leading grassroots campaigns across the country—from local city council races to presidential elections—to empower marginalized communities.
Alarcón earned an Associate of Arts degree in Communication Studies with a concentration in Mass Communication from LaGuardia (Class of 2016), and a Bachelor of Arts in Film Studies from Queens College (Class of 2018).
“LaGuardia Community College was more than a school to me; it was my second home. For two transformative years, LaGuardia gave me a sense of belonging, community, and possibility at a time when I needed it most. It was where I found friendships that became family and built relationships and networks that I still carry with me today,” said Alarcón. “As an alum, I look back with deep gratitude for the doors LaGuardia opened in my life. Earning my degree was only part of the journey. I also gained confidence, purpose, and the practical skills, tools, and resources that shaped who I am as a professional. LaGuardia helped me see my own potential and prepared me to show up fully in the work I do now.”
Alarcón is Operations Director of Las Doñas Org, a national nonprofit he founded in 2023 to equip Spanish-speaking women with organizing tools, leadership training, and pathways to civic engagement. Inspired by matriarchal leadership and community resilience, Alarcón envisioned Las Doñas as a platform for women to lead change in their own communities. Since its launch, the organization has expanded to 17 states. In the past year, Alarcón also launched Doñas México, which supports single mothers and their children through education initiatives, scholarships, and entrepreneurship training.
In addition, Alarcón serves as a Power Builder Organizer with the Solidarity Organizing Initiative, a project of The Action Lab focused on long‑term civic engagement and resistance rooted in solidarity. Previously, as Senior National Organizer for the Center for Popular Democracy, he trained community leaders across the country in grassroots advocacy, voter outreach, and education on voting rights.
Previously, he held leadership roles with Make the Road New York, United We Dream, and the Office of State Senator Jessica Ramos, organizing large-scale rallies and engaging directly with elected officials to advance immigrant-rights legislation. He also co-founded Make the Road Nevada, helping build the organization from the ground up to support immigrant communities in the Southwest.
Alarcón frequently draws on his own life experience to illuminate the challenges facing immigrant families who come to the United States in search of safety, educational opportunity, family‑sustaining wages, and freedom from violence or persecution in their home countries.
Born in Mexico, Alarcón moved to the U.S. at age 11 with his undocumented parents. When he was 16, his parents returned to Mexico to care for his younger brother who had remained in Mexico with family members, while Alarcón stayed in the U.S. to complete his education alone. Becoming a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient later allowed him to reunite with his family years later, after nearly a decade apart. His story was featured in Indivisible, a Peabody Award-winning documentary about immigrants brought to the United States as children.
As a leading voice in the successful campaign to pass the New York DREAM Act in 2019, Alarcón helped secure access to state financial aid for thousands of undocumented students across New York State.
Alarcón was a plaintiff, with lead plaintiff and former LaGuardia student Martin Batalla Vidal, in McAleenan v. Vidal, the landmark New York–led DACA case that reached the U.S. Supreme Court in November 2019. The Court’s ruling ultimately helped safeguard DACA from efforts to dismantle the program.
Alarcón’s advocacy has been featured in media nationwide, including Gothamist/WNYC, Telemundo, Univision, NY1 News, and The New York Times, and he remains a visible figure in the immigrant-rights movement both nationally and internationally.
In recognition of his leadership and impact, Alarcón delivered the keynote address at LaGuardia Community College’s 2020 Commencement, held virtually during the first year of the COVID‑19 pandemic.
“I will always carry LaGuardia with me, not just in my résumé, but in my heart,” said Alarcón.
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LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Long Island City, Queens offers more than 50 associate degrees and academic certificates, and more than 65 continuing education programs to prepare New Yorkers for transfer to senior colleges and rewarding jobs and careers. An institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), the College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his advocacy of the underserved. Since 1971, LaGuardia’s academic programs and support services have advanced the socioeconomic mobility of students from Queens, NYC and beyond.
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