After three and a half years leading Philadelphia’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (OIA), Mayor Jim Kenney announced the departure of Miriam Enriquez as executive director of the office in a press release Monday afternoon.

Enriquez came on board when Kenney was inaugurated in January 2016. Before taking leadership at the OIA, she worked both in City Council and the District Attorney’s Office.

As executive director of the OIA, Enriquez played an integral role in Philadelphia’s ongoing fight against the federal government to protect the city’s vulnerable immigrant population. 

“I was lucky to have Miriam’s dedication and passion leading this fight everyday,” said Kenney in a statement. “The groundwork she has laid within the Office of Immigrant Affairs has guided our city for the past several years and will continue to do so for years to come.”

In addition to winning voter approval for legislation that has made the OIA a permanent part of city government, Enriquez also helped end the city’s preliminary arraignment reporting system (PARS) agreement with ICE, implemented Philly’s language access program, and started a deportation defense pilot to provide legal representation for immigrants who can’t afford an attorney.

“I am proud of the courage we have shown in putting Philadelphia on the frontline in the national conversation about immigration policy,” said Enriquez in a statement.

Taking Enriquez’s place at the helm of the OIA is Amy Eusebio, the program director for Philadelphia’s Municipal ID program. The initiative provides a city-issued ID to those who otherwise have no form of identification and grants them entrance to municipal buildings within the boundaries of Philadelphia.

Eusebio’s said in a statement that her 15 years of nonprofit work and experience with the city-ID program prepared her well for taking on the executive director role at the OIA. 

“I have learned a great deal about the current challenges facing Philadelphia’s immigrant communities and am excited to work with our partners to forge solutions,” she said.

The position is also one that strikes close to home for Eusebio.

“As a first-generation American, Afro-Latina, and daughter of Dominican immigrants, this role is deeply personal to me,” she said. “Not only have I spent my entire career working to advance communities of color, but I have also experienced many of the challenges these communities face first-hand.”

Eusebio will officially begin her new role on September 30.