Joseph Edlow Confirmed as Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Edlow becomes the latest Trump nominee approved by a party-line vote in the U.S. Senate.
The U.S. Senate today held a recorded vote to confirm one individual nominated by President Donald Trump to serve in the executive branch of government - specifically in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security led by Secretary Kristi Noem since January 2025.
In a 52-47 vote, Joseph Edlow was confirmed as Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The position has been held by three separate acting officials since January 2025, when Ur Mendoza Jaddou resigned after serving since August 2021.
52 Republicans approved Edlow's nomination. All 45 Democrats and two Independents voted in opposition. Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA) did not vote.
Edlow was nominated to this position by Trump in March 2025. This marks his return to USCIS where he previously served as Chief Counsel from July 2019 to February 2020 and Deputy Director for Policy from February 2020 to January 2021. He was also an Assistant Chief Counsel from November 2008 to May 2015.
Previously, Edlow spent time working as a legal counsel in the U.S. House of Representatives. He worked for Representative Raul Labrador (R-ID) from May 2015 to February 2017 and was a staffer on the House Committee on the Judiciary from February 2017 to June 2018. He then served as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice from June 2018 to July 2019. Since March 2021, he has been a solo practitioner at The Edlow Group LLC.