Questioning authority figures from teachers to judges seems like something that could get a person in trouble, but it is what has helped immigration Attorney Jan Bejar become a recognized lawyer.

Sitting in his office, he recalls with a smile that at a young age he was kicked out of several schools while growing up in Mexico City because he questioned his teachers. And although it often got him into trouble, he did not hesitate from asking, “why” to things his teachers told him.

So for the past 34 year, he continues to question why things have to be done a certain way especially when it comes to immigration law.

“The whole thing is challenging the system and finding a more fair resolution to people’s situations,” Bejar said.

Bejar has dedicated his work to defending migrants and people who need help because he believes that with immigration law the scales are not tipped in their favor.

An immigrant himself, he identifies with his clients because he emigrated to the United States from Mexico City with his family when he was 18 years old. He recalls that although he was privileged in an immigration sense, because his mother was American, adapting to a different country and way of life was a difficult process.

“Even with U.S. citizenship there was always discrimination,” he said. “There was just a sense of not belonging and people making you feel out of place.”

He also felt frustrated especially when it came to school because he had to adapt to the school system in the U.S., which was very different to the system in Mexico.

After graduating from UC San Diego with a bachelor of arts in communications and film in 1977, Bejar decided to return to Mexico.

In Mexico, he was offered a job, but it was not a good fit so he moved to Chiapas and volunteered documenting the indian communities. He then returned to the U.S. and earned a masters in journalism from the University of Southern California.

But again, that was not what Bejar wanted to do so he decided to get a law degree and while debating if it was a boring career choice he attended an immigration law class, which he said was eye opening.

“I realized that (immigration law) was a field where you could actually do a lot of good,” Bejar said. “You could work with people that you identified with.”

Because of his work, Bejar was recently awarded the 2017 Ohtli Award by the Government of Mexico, which is awarded to individuals who have made contributions to the Mexican community abroad.

He said he was humbled by the award and that his team at the Law Offices of Jan Joseph Bejar, A P.L.C. deserves a part of that award.

“My team and I work in a system that often makes no sense and which I find more surreal than any painting by Salvador Dali. It is a world filled with legal contradictions and obstacles that need to be overcome by persons who have no voice or effective access to government representatives,” he said during his acceptance speech on Monday, Sept. 18.

Throughout his career, Bejar has learned that often immigrants are told to plead guilty or do not have accurate representation so he says he is a firm believer in changing the system.

He recalls several instances where he represented people who had not had adequate legal representation and even arguing with judges to stand his ground.

“The idea is basically to fight as hard as you can and one thing that I’ve been told is that I just don’t know when to give up and it’s probably true,” Bejar said. “I don’t see where giving up is a virtue.”