Ur Mendoza Jaddou Confirmed as USCIS Director

Ur Mendoza Jaddou is the new director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

With a vote of 47 to 34On Friday, July 30, 2021, the U.S. Senate confirmed Mendoza Jaddou to the post.

Mendoza Jaddou is the first woman to hold the position. She is also the first person approved by the Senate to lead the agency since 2019. For the past two years interim directors have led USCIS without Senate confirmation.

Most recently, Mendoza Jaddou served as director of DHS Watch, a project of the liberal nonprofit America's Voice, which advocates for immigration reform.

Mendoza Jaddou previously worked for USCIS as the agency's chief counsel during the administration of former President Barack Obama from June 2014 to January 2017. Prior to that, she led the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Legislative Affairs as Deputy Assistant Secretary and also served as a senior advisor to the U.S. House of Representatives' immigration subcommittee.

Mendoza Jaddou is the daughter of immigrants. Her mother is from Mexico and her father is from Iraq. She was born and raised in Chula Vista, California, where she attended Stanford University and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law.

"Ur has two decades of experience in immigration law, policy and administration. She will administer our nation's immigration system in a fair and equitable manner," Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. "As the daughter of hardworking immigrants, Ur understands how immigrant families enrich our country and the challenges they face....I look forward to working closely with her to rebuild and restore confidence in our immigration system."