Joanna Kloet

Joanna Kloet is an accomplished immigration and federal criminal defense attorney, currently serving as the Morgan Lewis Military Immigration Fellow. Her work focuses on representing noncitizens in complex legal matters, particularly military naturalization and immigration consequences of criminal convictions.

Joanna earned her Juris Doctor summa cum laude from Michigan State University College of Law as a King Scholar and received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Her strong academic record laid the groundwork for a career deeply rooted in immigration and public defense.

Joanna began her legal career as an Attorney Advisor through the Attorney General’s Honors Program with the Executive Office for Immigration Review in the Tenth Circuit. She later practiced immigration law at a large Michigan firm and served as a Supervising Attorney at Michigan State University’s Immigration Law Clinic, where she continues to teach “Immigration Consequences of Crime” as an adjunct professor.

Most recently, Joanna worked as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in the Western District of Michigan. There, she represented clients in federal criminal cases involving immigration-related offenses, firearms, drugs, and fraud. She is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and multiple federal and state courts.

In 2023, Joanna was selected as the Morgan Lewis Military Immigration Fellow, sponsored by the American Immigration Council. Through this role, she supports MAVNI class members with naturalization efforts and assists service members and veterans with immigration legal services via the AILA Military Assistance Program.

Joanna Kloet is licensed in Michigan and Colorado and is professionally fluent in Spanish. Her work reflects a deep commitment to justice, immigrant rights, and impactful legal advocacy at the national level.

Law Office Affiliations

• Attorney, Cascadia Cross Border Law, LLC
• Member, State Bar of Michigan
• Member, Colorado Bar Association
• Military Immigration Fellow, American Immigration Council
• Former Assistant Federal Public Defender, Federal Public Defender’s Office, Western District of Michigan

Licensed State

• Michigan
• Colorado

Education

• Michigan State University College of Law
  Juris Doctor (J.D.)
• University of Michigan
  Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Awards & Badges