Joseph Edlow
Joseph Edlow | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services | |
Nominee | |
| Assumed office TBD | |
| Nominated by | Donald Trump |
| Acting Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services | |
| In office 2020–2021 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 31, 1981 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Education | |
Joseph Benjamin Edlow (born May 31, 1981) is an American lawyer. He was nominated by President Donald Trump in 2025 to serve as director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).[1]
Early life and education
[edit]Edlow was born on May 31, 1981, in Baltimore, Maryland,[2] to a Jewish family.[3] He graduated from Brandeis University with a Bachelor of Arts in political science, government, and history in 2003, then earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 2006.[4]
Career
[edit]After graduating from law school, Edlow became the political director for Scott Rolle's unsuccessful campaign to be the attorney general of Maryland. From 2006 to 2007, he worked as an associate attorney in private practice, then was an assistant chief counsel for the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from 2008 to 2015.[2]
From 2015 to 2017, Edlow was legal counsel to the United States House of Representatives and then counsel to the United States House Committee on the Judiciary from 2017 to 2018. From 2018 to 2019, he was deputy assistant attorney general at the Office of Legal Policy of the U.S. Department of Justice.[5]
Edlow was chief counsel of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from 2019 to 2020 and deputy director for policy at USCIS from 2020 to 2021, during which period he also served as acting director of the agency.[6] Beginning in 2022, he was also a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation's Border Security and Immigration Center.[7]
Nomination to be USCIS director
[edit]On March 10, 2025, President Donald Trump nominated Edlow to be Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.[8] His nomination hearing took place on May 21, 2025, with Chuck Grassley, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, presiding.[9] On June 12, 2025, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Edlow's nomination to the U.S. Senate with a party-line vote.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Kreighbaum, Andrew (June 12, 2025). "Trump Immigration Agency Nominee Edlow Advances to Full Senate". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Questionnaire for Non-Judicial Nominees: Joseph Edlow" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
- ^ Finkelman, Louis (2020-06-26). "Jewish Legal Experts Weigh In On DACA Decision". The Jewish News. Retrieved 2025-06-18.
- ^ "Joseph Edlow - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (March 2025-), Director Nominee - Biography | LegiStorm". www.legistorm.com. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ "House Biography: Joseph Edlow, Deputy Assistant Attorney General" (PDF). U.S. Department of Justice. 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ^ Anderson, Stuart. "Snubbing Trump, Immigration Nominee Would End Student Practical Training". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ Newswire, Federal. "Heritage supports Trump's nominee for USCIS director". Federal Newswire. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ "PN26-15 - Nomination of Joseph Edlow for Department of Homeland Security, 119th Congress (2025-2026)". www.congress.gov. 2025-06-12. Retrieved 2025-06-18.
- ^ "Nominations | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary". www.judiciary.senate.gov. Retrieved 2025-06-18.