Joseph B. Edlow - USCIS New Director

Image: Joseph B. Edlow/LinkedIn

Joseph B. Edlow Assumes Leadership of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

On July 15, 2025, the United States Senate confirmed Joseph B. Edlow as Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) by a vote of 52 to 47. A native of Maryland, Edlow returns to the agency with extensive experience and a clear mandate: to strengthen immigration vetting procedures, reduce operational backlogs, and restore integrity to the U.S. legal immigration system.

“I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to return to USCIS to serve as director, and I am deeply grateful to President Donald J. Trump and Secretary Kristi Noem for their leadership and confidence in me,” said Director Edlow. “I look forward to advancing the president’s agenda to restore integrity in our legal immigration system and safeguard our communities and nation. Today marks the beginning of a new era for USCIS. Together, we will move forward with the mission of an agency created in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks—to address evolving threats and serve as a frontline defender of our homeland.”

Joseph Edlow is a seasoned immigration attorney and policy expert. He began his public service career as an assistant chief counsel at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and went on to hold senior roles at the Department of Justice and the House Judiciary Committee, where he served as counsel to Congressman Raúl R. Labrador. During the first Trump administration (2020–2021), Edlow served as Acting Director of USCIS, where he became known for emphasizing enforcement and fraud detection efforts.

He also contributed to the Heritage Foundation’s presidential transition plan, Project 2025, and served as a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, sharpening his focus on immigration safeguards. In addition, Edlow is the founder of the Edlow Group LLC and the Law Office of Joseph Edlow LLC.

Among his recent policy positions are proposals to restrict Optional Practical Training (OPT) for F-1 international students after graduation, and to reframe USCIS’s mission to focus more heavily on enforcement, vetting, screening, and fraud detection. This includes a significantly expanded role for the agency’s Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS) directorate in case adjudication.

Under Director Edlow’s leadership, USCIS aims to reaffirm its role as a critical partner in enforcing immigration laws, upholding the rule of law, and restoring public confidence in the United States’ legal immigration framework.