ATAA UN Related Announcement# 41
In Support of (18 December) International Migrants Day (A/RES/55/93)
Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) &
Akcok Law Office
Presented a Webinar on:
The Legal Rights of Immigrants in the U.S. and
the Challenges They Face
**Sunday, February 1, 2026
2:00pm ET, 1:00pm CT, 11:00am PT
**
Background
On February 1, 2026, Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA), Akcok Law Office held a virtual event titled “The Legal Rights of Immigrants in the U.S. and the Challenges They Face” in support of (18 December) International Migrants Day (A/RES/55/93).
The Turkish immigrant community in the United States continues to grow, bringing with it unique questions and challenges related to legal rights, status, and everyday protections under U.S. law. At the same time, ongoing policy changes and evolving immigration procedures can make the system difficult to navigate.
This webinar, organized in collaboration with Akcok Law Office and the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA), provides a concise and practical overview of the key legal rights available to immigrants in the United States, along with the common challenges they may encounter in areas such as visas, residency, enforcement, and removal proceedings. Participants will gain up-to-date insights to better understand the legal landscape and the factors that may affect their immigration journey.
Program
Opening Remarks and Introduction by
**Alev Wieland
**ATAA President
Program Overview by
Dr. Selim Erhan
ATAA Trustee & UN Committee Co-Chair
Expert Speakers
**Utku Galip Akcok
** Founding Attorney, Akcok Law Office
**Anıl Can Çetinkaya
**Attorney, Akcok Law Office
During this session, our speakers will discuss:
Core legal rights of immigrants under U.S. federal and state laws
Common challenges faced during visa, residency, and removal processes
Due process protections during interviews, investigations, and court proceedings
Enforcement trends and policy changes affecting immigrant communities
Practical guidance for individuals navigating the immigration system
Live Q &A session to address audience questions
Upcoming programs announcement by
**Yücel Burdurlu
**ATAA Secretary & UN Committee Co-Chair
Closing Remarks by
**Alev Wieland
**ATAA President
Biographies
UTKU GALİP AKÇOK
Founding Attorney, Akcok Law Office
Utku Galip Akcok is the Founding Attorney and CEO of Akcok Law Office, a San Francisco-based law firm providing legal services in immigration law, business immigration, personal injury law, and corporate law through its offices in Berkeley and Burlingame.
After completing his high school education at Mirabal International School in Madrid, he pursued his undergraduate studies at TOBB University of Economics and Technology, graduating with double majors in Law and Economics on a full scholarship. He later moved to the United States to complete his Master of Laws (LL.M.) at Golden Gate University School of Law, where he was awarded a Merit Scholarship.
Utku is licensed to practice law in both California and New York, and he serves clients across the United States with a comprehensive and multidisciplinary legal background. He is also a Board Member of the Society of Turkish American Physicians (STAP), where he works closely with Turkish-origin physicians nationwide, supporting their immigration processes and professional transitions.
Dedicated to public education, Utku produces YouTube programs, podcasts, and educational social media content under the “Callutku” brand, informing the Turkish community in the United States about the U.S. legal system and current immigration developments.
ANIL CAN ÇETİNKAYA
Attorney, Akcok Law Office
Anıl Can Çetinkaya is an Associate Attorney at Akcok Law Office, where he focuses on removal defense and humanitarian immigration matters. Licensed to practice in New York, he represents clients across the United States. Anıl earned his Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the University of Minnesota Law School and his Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf University.
During his graduate studies, Anıl completed a judicial observation program in the Minnesota State Court’s Felony Criminal Block, gaining insight into U.S. court procedures directly from the judge’s chambers. He also served as a Volunteer Law Clerk with the Volunteer Lawyers Network, where he drafted applications for asylum seekers. Before joining Akcok Law Office, he gained broad experience in asylum, family, and employment-based cases at various law firms.
In addition to his legal practice, Anıl produces educational content on Instagram under the username @attorneyanil, aiming to inform the Turkish community about U.S. immigration topics. His diverse background and dedication to client advocacy guide his work at Akcok Law Office.
Project Team
ALEV WIELAND
ATAA President
Alev Wieland has Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from University of Cincinnati, OH. Worked for Belcan Engineering at Proctor of Gamble as Project engineer for 7 years. Since she retired from PepsiCo, Inc-AMEA Capability Director in 2012, she formed Manufacturing Excellence Technical Services and Alev Cosmetics companies.
Alev has extensive experience in Lean Manufacturing, Lean Product Life Cycle Management, and Processes Development. Project Management, Construction Management in Food Manufacturing, Paper Converting and Laundry Soap Industry. She has solid understanding of Engineering, Manufacturing and Operations Processes. She is an expert in ISO 9001 and GMP Certifications and Standards.
She has been responsible for organizational communication, meetings management, documentation, web site management for Contemporary Education Foundation (COEDFO) since 2013. She served as President of Cincinnati Turkish American Association (CTAA) from 1994 to 1996.
An active member of the Turkish American Association of Northern Texas (TURANT), she has been providing organizational operations support to its elected board members and helping with executions of projects since 2000. Alev serves as the First VP, Southwest Region Vice President, Chairs the Community Newsletter Committee and Co-Chair of UN Relations Committee of Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA). Alev is very active at her local city and Main Street Organizations, provides support in an advisory capacity.
DR. SELİM ERHAN
ATAA Trustee & UN Committee Co-Chair
Dr. Selim Erhan was born in Istanbul Turkiye. After graduating with a chemical engineering degree from the University of Istanbul, he continued his studies at Western Michigan University with a Ph.D. in Polymer-Organic Chemistry. After teaching at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo College and Lake Michigan College, he started a research career first at the USDA’s National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, IL. He continued his career in the private industry, working on application of bio-based products to industrial applications.
Dr. Erhan started actively working on introducing Turkey and the Turkish Culture in USA while studying at Western Michigan University in 1980. He joined the Turkish American Cultural Alliance in 2000 and became active in educational activities and in 2009. He was the co-founder of the highly successful TACA – Public Outreach Program, aiming at educating middle school, high school and university students on important issues. The Public Outreach Organization brought speakers like Prof. Justin McCarthy, Prof. Turkkaya Ataov, Emre Kongar and Lincoln McCurdy.
In 2013 he joined TACA’s Board of Directors and became the Director of the Ataturk School and the Adult Turkish School. Continued as the TACA Public Outreach Chair preparing seminars and conferences to reach out and enlighten the public in the Midwest region.
Dr. Erhan was elected as ATAA’s Midwest Region VP 2015 to 2019. He has continued working at ATAA, helped to form the UN Committee and was instrumental to form the highly successful Turkish American Presidents Group under ATAA, improving communications with the Component Associations in USA and pulling in similar Turkish organizations from Canada. In 2022, he was elected to ATAA’s Board of Trustees.
YÜCEL BURDURLU
ATAA Secretary & UN Committee Co-Chair
Yücel Burdurlu was born and raised in Istanbul Türkiye. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Hacettepe University Ankara Turkey, she continued her graduate studies at California State University Long Beach.
After graduating, she started a career in private industry working on applied and theoretical research on coatings and coating raw materials. Yucel worked for Imperial Chemical Industries formerly known as ICI Paints North America in their Strongsville Research Center most of her career in the international innovation team where she was involved variety of interesting projects in collaboration with their Slough Laboratory in Slough, England, ICI France in Rouge, France and ICI South America Research Center in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Next, Yucel worked for BUNGE Oils North America where, she worked with inorganic synthesis of anticorrosive pigments and tested them in collaboration with Batelle Laboratories in Columbus Ohio, University of Southern Mississippi and Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas.
Presently, Yucel is with True Value Manufacturing in Cary Illinois as a Research Chemist. Yucel lives in the suburbs of Chicago. She joined TACA’s Board of Directors in 2013-2015 and she was the Director of the Ataturk School and the Adult Turkish School 2014-2015.
Yucel also has been a member of the Chicago Turkish Festival Planning Committee and a volunteer in the festival since 2013 and has served as the Volunteer Coordinator for the Chicago Turkish festivals in 2016 and 2018. Yucel is planning to continue working on bringing Turkish and American groups together using her organization skills, people skills, education skills and her passion for harmony and peace.
For further inquiries, please e-mail uncommittee@ataa.org, president@ataa.org (Alev Wieland, ATAA President) or selim.erhan251@gmail.com (Selim Erhan, ATAA UN Committee Co-Chair)
Websites: www.ataa.org | www.ataa.org/u-n
References:
www.ataa.org/un/ataa-becomes-associate-member-of-the-un-dgc/