Immigration/Gang Expert

Curriculum Vitae as Urban Gang Expert

Personal: 1973, born in El Paso, Texas. Currently resides in Los Angeles, California Education: 1996-1999: East Los Angeles College; Associate of Arts degree, Liberal Arts(Majored in Philosophy), University of California, Irvine (Summer Scholars TransferInstitute), Certificate; Summer 2000, California State University, Fullerton; Major: Philosophy 2005-2006 (degree pending).

H. Fabian Montes was born in El Paso, Texas and was raised in the Pico-Union area ofLos Angeles, CA and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico in La Colonia Chavena, where poverty is a way of life.

He joined a gang at the early age of 12; was shot at 16 and was again shot and stabbed at 18. He was on Probation from 12 to 18 years old and was in and out of L.A. County Jail from 18 to 24. At the age of 25, he began to redirect his life and enrolled in East Los Angeles Community College. He graduated from ELAC, receiving his A.A. degree in Liberal Arts, though majoring in Philosophy. There, he metFr. Greg Boyle, Executive Director of Homeboy Industries, during his last semester, when he enrolled in a class called “Gangs in California”, taught by Fr. Boyle. A friendship between the two began here, and Fr. Boyle then invited Fabian to be a part of his organization. Fabian was employed for nine years, at Homeboy Industries. He began as a JobDeveloper, referring former gang members, parolees, and others to jobs; he was a Supervisor; and then promoted to a Sr. Pre-Release Case Manager, providing after-care services to new parolees from state prison and two female juvenile camps (Scott and Scudder). In addition, he goes to juvenile halls, camps, and prisons, as well as universities, to speak about Homeboy Industries' mission. He is also called as a gang expert for Los Angeles Criminal Courts.