Ur Mendoza Jaddou

Ur Mendoza Jaddou is Counsel in our Immigration Practice in the firm’s Washington, DC office. Previously, she served as Chief Counsel to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and as Chief Counsel to the House Immigration Subcommittee. She offers strategic immigration advice to a range of clients that include corporations, hospitals and research institutions, universities, trade associations, media outlets, and individuals facing complex immigration issues. In a field that is constantly changing, she has unique expertise to provide insight and guidance on changes in immigration policies and administration affecting businesses and other organizations.

Ms. Jaddou also has unparalleled expertise in government relations and communications. She is widely considered by government personnel and the community at large as a leading expert in immigration policy. She has briefed staff of the U.S. Congress, and has made hundreds of radio and print media appearances.

As USCIS Chief Counsel, Ms. Jaddou provided legal counsel to the agency and interacted with the General Counsel of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other DHS immigration component counsel. She directed a legal program of almost 300 attorneys advising an agency of 19,000 employees and worked with other agencies to address various legal matters, including the Department of Justice on litigation, the Executive Office of Immigration Review, the Department of State on visa matters, and the Department of Labor on labor certification issues. Previous to this position, Ms. Jaddou led the State Department’s Bureau of Legislative Affairs as Deputy Assistant Secretary and the U.S. House of Representatives as the Chief Counsel of the House Immigration Subcommittee.

Ms. Jaddou continues to gain reliable and unparalleled knowledge as the Director of DHS Watch, a project of America’s Voice, created in 2018 to uphold transparency and accountability by exposing harmful immigration policies, poor infrastructure, scarce resources, and mismanagement of federal immigration institutions. She is also an adjunct professor at American University, Washington College of Law where she teaches an advanced course on business immigration law.

Representative Experience

• Provide strategic advice to for-profit and non-profit entities, as well as individuals, on the rapidly changing immigration law and policy landscape.
• Advise for-profit and non-profit entities seeking to litigate on immigration matters.
• Provide government relations and communications advice regarding immigration law and policy.