WE WILL PROTECT THE HOMELAND BY DILIGENTLY LITIGATING CASES WHILE ADHERING TO THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT, PROVIDING TIMELY AND ACCURATE LEGAL ADVICE, AND OPTIMIZING RESOURCES TO ADVANCE DHS AND ICE MISSIONS.
The Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) is the largest legal program in DHS, with more than 1,700 attorneys and nearly 300 support personnel. Pursuant to statute, OPLA serves as the exclusive representative of DHS in immigration removal proceedings before the Executive Office for Immigration Review, litigating all removal cases including those against criminal aliens, terrorists, and human rights abusers.
OPLA also provides a full range of legal services to ICE programs and offices, including legal advice and prudential counsel to ICE personnel on their customs, criminal, and immigration law enforcement authorities, the Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act, ethics, liability under the Federal Tort Claims Act, and a range of administrative law issues, such as contract, fiscal, and employment law. OPLA represents the agency before the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Board of Contract Appeals. OPLA attorneys provide essential support to the Department of Justice in the prosecution of ICE cases and in the defense of ICE’s authorities in federal court.
In addition to its headquarters in Washington, D.C., OPLA has a presence in more than 90 offices in its 25 field locations throughout the...
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