Jennifer B. Higgins
Jennifer B. Higgins | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Acting Director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services | |
| Assumed office January 20, 2025 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Ur Jaddou |
| Personal details | |
| Education | American University |
Jennifer B. Higgins is an American government official serving as the acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) since January 20, 2025 and its deputy director since 2022. She was previously the acting chief of staff to the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security from 2021 to 2022.
Education
[edit]Higgins earned a master's degree in comparative politics from American University.[1][2]
Career
[edit]Higgins began her federal career in 1999 as a Presidential Management Fellow with the Immigration and Naturalization Service's Office of International Affairs.[1][2] Upon completion of her fellowship in 2001, she joined the Refugee Affairs Division as an immigration officer.[2] From 2007 to 2016, Higgins held leadership positions within the Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations Directorate (RAIO) at United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), as the branch chief for asylum operations.[2] In 2014, she was promoted to the Senior Executive Service (SES), becoming deputy chief for the Refugee Affairs Division.[2] She also served as a senior advisor to the USCIS director on immigration reform in 2015.[2]
Higgins was chief of staff to the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security from 2016 to 2017.[2] From January 2017 to 2021, she was the associate director for the Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations Directorate (RAIO) at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).[1] In September 2021, she became the acting chief of staff to the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, succeeding Karen Olick.[1][3]
On January 31, 2022, Higgins became deputy director of USCIS.[1][3] On January 20, 2025, she was appointed as the acting director of USCIS.[1] Higgins is expected to be succeeded as deputy director and acting director by Andrew Davidson on February 9, 2025.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Kably, Lubna (2025-01-25). "Jennifer Higgins is the new acting USCIS director". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2025-02-02.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Jennifer B. Higgins, Acting Director, USCIS". United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. January 2025. Archived from the original on 2025-01-21. Retrieved 2025-02-02.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b Thompson, Alex; Lippman, Daniel (2021-09-13). "Homeland Security chief of staff abruptly resigns". POLITICO. Retrieved 2025-02-02.
- ^ Kreighbaum, Andrew (2025-01-31). "New Acting Head Named at US Citizenship and Immigration Services". Bloomberg Law. Archived from the original on 2025-02-02. Retrieved 2025-02-02.
