Joseph Edlow is an American lawyer and civil servant who has held senior roles in United States immigration administration, most recently as a nominee confirmed to lead U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Educated at Brandeis University and Case Western Reserve University School of Law, he built his career across immigration enforcement, benefits administration, and congressional work. His May 2025 confirmation hearing foregrounded a vision of USCIS as, in his own words, “an immigration enforcement agency” committed to evolving screening and vetting methods. He also founded The Edlow Group, a Washington, D.C. firm listed among Case Western Reserve’s immigration law alumni.
Key facts
- Country: United States
- Occupation: lawyer; civil servant
- Employer: United States Department of Homeland Security
- Education: Brandeis University; Case Western Reserve University School of Law
Career in immigration enforcement
Edlow began his federal immigration career as an assistant chief counsel at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In that role he represented the Department of Homeland Security in removal proceedings before U.S. Immigration Courts, with a specific portfolio covering gang matters, worksite enforcement, and national security cases.
That enforcement background later became a central point of reference during his path to the USCIS directorship. Lora Ries, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, stated publicly that Americans ‘should have great confidence’ in Edlow’s leadership, pointing to his record in both immigration enforcement and benefits administration, as well as his work in Congress.
Acting USCIS director and policy record
Before his formal nomination, Edlow served in a leadership capacity at USCIS during which he helped launch and oversee the H-1B electronic registration system. He also presided over a naturalization ceremony at the U.S. Department of State on October 22, 2020, alongside then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, at which twelve candidates took the Oath of Allegiance.
The Federation for American Immigration Reform and the Heritage Foundation both praised his nomination.
Confirmation as USCIS director
At his May 2025 confirmation hearing, Edlow told the Senate that “at its core, USCIS must be an immigration enforcement agency, an agency that is dedicated to ever evolving and innovative techniques for screening and vetting its applicant pool.” The full Senate subsequently confirmed him to the position.
The confirmation drew public comment from immigration restriction advocacy organizations. Ries of the Heritage Foundation cited his background spanning Congress and both enforcement and benefits sides of immigration administration as grounds for confidence in his leadership.
Education and private practice
Edlow holds degrees from Brandeis University and Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Case Western Reserve lists him under its immigration alumni as the founder of The Edlow Group, based in Washington, D.C.
Did you know
- During the 2020 H-1B electronic registration period that Edlow helped launch and oversee, USCIS received nearly 275,000 unique registrations, compared to approximately 200,000 paper H-1B petitions submitted the year before. (watsonimmigrationlaw.com)
- On October 22, 2020, Edlow presided over a naturalization ceremony at the U.S. Department of State alongside then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, at which twelve candidates took the Oath of Allegiance to become U.S. citizens. (news.bloomberglaw.com)
Data sources
Data updated: 2026-10-30