Archila attended
Montclair State University before becoming a staff member of the Latin American Integration Center (LAIC) in
Staten Island and
Queens. The founding director of LAIC, Sara Maria Archila, was a former
human rights lawyer from Colombia and was also Archila's aunt. She began serving in this role in 2003. Archila advocated on behalf of parents with limited English language skills in Staten Island and Queens, New York, to obtain more information about their children's education. After LAIC merged with Make the Road by Walking to become
Make the Road New York (MRNY), she become a co-executive director of the new organization. Under the leadership of Archila and her co-directors, MRNY became the largest grassroots immigrant organization in New York City. She told
CNN that removing children from their parents and their family would cause damage that would be difficult to repair later in life. In June 2018, Archila lamented that the
zero tolerance policy of the
Trump administration which separated immigrant children from their parents was still in operation. Archila brought attention to
Puerto Rico and problems of lack of power after
Hurricane Maria. She warned that the territory was lacking in proper governmental organization in advance of the following hurricane season. She advocated for debt relief to alleviate economic problems in Puerto Rico. Archila pointed in particular to Bank of Santander as an example of economic debt pressures on Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Archila said Puerto Rico was not getting responsive assistance from the US federal government because the
United States Congress did not view the locality as within their representation duties.
U.S. Senate hearings on Supreme Court nomination On September 28, 2018, US Senator
Jeff Flake announced his intention to vote for Supreme Court nominee
Brett Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh had been accused of sexual assault by a number of women, including
Christine Blasey Ford, who testified for several hours before the Senate Judiciary Committee the day before Flake's announcement. Kavanaugh subsequently testified and denied the allegations. Flake said that Ford's testimony was "compelling," but added that Kavanaugh's response was "persuasive" and left him "with as much doubt as certainty" regarding what had occurred. Following his announcement, but prior to the Judiciary Committee's vote on the Kavanaugh nomination, Flake was confronted by Archila and Maria Gallagher in a Senate office building elevator. The two women identified themselves as sexual assault survivors, noted the sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh, and loudly criticized Flake about his support for the Kavanaugh nomination.
CNN reported that Flake was "visibly uncomfortable" during the encounter and "seemed to have a change of heart" afterward. The exchange was broadcast live on
CNN. On the same day, Flake voted not to
subpoena Mark Judge—who Ford said was present during her assault—to appear before the Judiciary Committee. That afternoon, Flake voted to advance Kavanaugh's nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee; however, Flake added that he was a "yes" vote "only if the final Senate vote [was] delayed for one week, during which time the FBI [could] investigate sexual harassment allegations against Kavanaugh". Senate Republican leaders agreed to support the proposed investigation. Later that day, President
Donald Trump directed the
FBI to undertake a one-week investigation of the allegations against Kavanaugh.
2022 New York lieutenant governor campaign Archila was selected by
Jumaane Williams as his running mate in the
2022 New York gubernatorial election. She was endorsed by Rep.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In the Democratic primary, Archila finished second in a three-person race which was won by the incumbent,
Antonio Delgado.
New York Working Families Party co-director In 2023, Archila and education activist Jasmine Gripper were named co-directors of the New York chapter of the
Working Families Party. She left the position in early 2026.
Mamdani administration On February 17, 2026, Archila was appointed as the commissioner of the Mayor's Office of International Affairs for New York City. == Personal life ==