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DMCA: A Nearly 50-Year-Old Firm With Five Board-Certified Attorneys and a Former ICE Chief Counsel on Staff

DMCA employs Paul Hunker, the former ICE Chief Counsel of Dallas — meaning one of the firm’s own attorneys once held the government position responsible for prosecuting deportation cases on behalf of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a background now brought to bear defending clients on the opposite side of that same system.

At a Glance

Origin and Background

Founded in 1976, DMCA is headquartered in San Antonio with established, dedicated offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Angelo — Awesome Attorneys discloses this multi-city structure directly rather than presenting the firm as Houston-founded, since its roots and headquarters are in San Antonio. The Houston office relocated to an upgraded Galleria/Uptown-area facility in June 2022, indicating an active, ongoing local presence rather than a nominal listing. The firm’s attorney roster includes multiple independently Board Certified Immigration and Nationality Law specialists, independently verifiable via the TBLS directory, along with Paul Hunker, the former ICE Chief Counsel for the Dallas field office.

Practice Concentration

DMCA is a full-service immigration and criminal defense firm handling family-based immigration, employment-based visas, deportation defense, and federal court litigation challenging government immigration decisions, including writs of mandamus for unreasonably delayed cases. See this Houston Immigration directory for how this large, multi-office, board-certified-heavy firm compares to boutique Harris County immigration practices. Monica Saenz, one of the firm’s board-certified attorneys, currently serves her second term on the Texas Board of Legal Specialization’s own Advisory Commission — a credential reflecting direct involvement in overseeing the certification standard itself.

Track Record

As is typical for an immigration practice, the firm does not publish a table of case outcomes with dollar figures, and Awesome Attorneys did not identify one. What is independently verifiable is the firm’s nearly 50-year operating history, its roster of multiple TBLS board-certified attorneys, and Marisol L. Pérez’s 2026 Best Lawyers in America recognition, announced via the firm’s own published news page.

Client Voice

Client reviews specifically name attorney Lance Curtright as delivering clear, straightforward communication through a case described as facing “huge” odds against the client, resulting in a successful approval. Awesome Attorneys did not identify a pattern of negative or unresolved reviews warranting disclosure for this firm, though as a large multi-office practice, clients should confirm which specific attorney and office will handle their matter.

Beyond the Courtroom

Monica Saenz’s service on the Texas Board of Legal Specialization’s own Advisory Commission, plus her prior role chairing the San Antonio Bar Association’s Immigration and Nationality Section (2015-2017), reflects sustained involvement shaping the immigration bar’s own governance and standards, beyond individual case work. Paul Hunker has also published op-eds on the role of federal courts in immigration enforcement.

Recognition for This Houston Immigration Attorney

Multiple DMCA attorneys’ Board Certification in Immigration and Nationality Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization is the state’s official specialty credential, independently verifiable via the TBLS directory for each named attorney. Marisol L. Pérez’s inclusion in Best Lawyers in America (2026) and the firm’s AV Preeminent Martindale-Hubbell rating are separate, independently administered peer-review distinctions.

Texas Legal Backdrop

Immigration law is federally governed, so Texas attorneys in this practice area work primarily before USCIS, the immigration courts (EOIR), and federal district courts rather than Texas state courts. Writs of mandamus, a named part of this firm’s litigation practice, are a federal legal tool used to compel a government agency to act when a case has been unreasonably delayed, distinct from a standard appeal of an adverse decision. None of this is legal advice; a specific immigration matter should be evaluated by a licensed attorney based on the actual facts involved.

Awesome Attorneys Assessment

DMCA’s clearest, most checkable differentiator is its unusual depth of TBLS board-certified attorneys on a single roster, combined with a nearly 50-year operating history and a former ICE Chief Counsel now practicing on the defense side. The honest trade-off: DMCA is headquartered in San Antonio rather than Houston, and as a large, multi-office firm, prospective clients should confirm specifically which Houston-based attorney will handle their matter rather than assuming firm-wide uniformity. For a Harris County client with a complex case who specifically wants access to multiple board-certified specialists within one firm, DMCA is a substantive, well-documented option.

Methodology and Sourcing

This profile was researched from DMCA’s official website (dmcausa.com), including its about, locations, and attorney-recognition pages, its Houston office relocation announcement, and attorney profiles on the AILA Lawyer directory confirming individual TBLS certifications.

Publisher Disclosure and Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by De Mott, McChesney, Curtright & Armendáriz, LLP prior to publication. Awesome Attorneys may in the future offer sponsored placement products to attorneys and firms, including this one, but sponsorship has no bearing on the editorial content, inclusion, or findings of this profile.