Summary Join the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of the Principal Legal Advisor's (OPLA) Human Rights Violator Law Division (HRVLD) as Counsel and leverage your legal experience to pursue accountability in cases relating to human rights, war crimes, and human trafficking. Responsibilities OPLA is the largest legal program in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), employing over 3,000 attorneys nationwide. OPLA provides a full range of legal services to all ICE programs and offices and serves as the exclusive representative of DHS in removal proceedings before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). The selected attorney will fill the Counsel position and primarily serve as DHS's agency counsel for one of the few teams within the U.S. government handling legal matters for a wide range of human rights accountability related cases and issues. HRVLD attorneys work closely with a wide range of ICE program offices, both domestically and internationally. HRVLD attorneys also work closely with the DHS Office of the General Counsel Headquarters (OGC HQ), other DHS component legal offices; as well as numerous other U.S. government agencies. HRVLD attorneys serve as experts on their assigned areas of human rights law; they work with a team of experienced attorneys, historians, analysts, and agents who perform a critical role to advance ICE's efforts to investigate, prosecute, and remove those who violate our human rights laws, as well as human traffickers and human smugglers, while seeking to preserve the rights of victims of federal crimes identified in HSI investigations. HRVLD attorneys work in country-focused groups at the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)-led Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC) to identify, investigate, and prosecute both criminal and civil cases of individuals in the United States who have engaged in persecution, genocide, extrajudicial killing, torture, severe violations of religious freedom, female genital mutilation, the use or recruitment of child soldiers, war crimes, and other human rights violations. Specialized knowledge of human rights violations in the Balkans is preferred. Additionally, HRVLD attorneys support HSI's investigation of human smuggling cases and networks which pose national security and public safety risks, jeopardize lives, and engage in violence, abuse or extortion; advise the HSI Victim Assistance Program (VAP) which supports victim issues in a wide range of federal crimes including human trafficking, child sexual abuse material, child sex tourism, financial scams targeting vulnerable populations, and human rights abuses; work with DHS's Center for Countering Human Trafficking (CCHT) to counter human trafficking; and provide legal advice on law enforcement parole into the United States, specialized visas for those assisting law enforcement, and witness security. The selected attorney will immediately be given significant responsibilities and will be expected to research and craft persuasive, legally supportable positions to address the needs of agency operational components. Timely oral and written guidance will be routinely provided to ICE officers and agents, division management, and senior leadership within OPLA, ICE, and OGC HQ by the selected attorney. At a minimum, duties will include the following: Advise the HRVWCC, the CCHT, ICE's Human Smuggling programs, ICE's law enforcement parole programs, and/or VAP; Provide legal support and training to OPLA attorneys who advise HSI special agents conducting criminal investigations related to human rights abuses, human trafficking, or human smuggling; Provide legal support and training to designated OPLA attorneys who litigate human rights-related cases before EOIR; Prepare and deliver briefings on matters within the division's portfolio to assist DHS, ICE, Enforcement and Removal Operations, HSI, and OPLA leadership; Review legislation, external communications, federal interagency documents, and policies within the division's portfolio; Provide well-reasoned legal advice and counsel, including on immigration and criminal law issues; Conduct necessary, agency-wide, civil discovery; Represent DHS in immigration court proceedings when needed; and Develop and present trainings on substantive areas of law within the division's portfolio. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Unless otherwise noted, you must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by 11:59 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time on 09/28/2026. Please note that qualification claims will be subject to verification. In light of the nature of HRVLD's work, attorney assignments are fast-paced, high-profile, and need to be addressed in real-time. The attorney selected in response to this announcement will be given significant responsibilities on an immediate basis. Selectee must possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities, characteristics, and competencies: adept at prioritizing multiple assignments, exercising sound legal and practical judgment, efficiently producing quality legal analyses of complex and novel legal issues, and working effectively in a fast-paced environment both individually and as part of a team. Applicants should also demonstrate the ability to take initiative and work in a reliable, decisive, and professional manner. Bar Membership: You must be an active member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office. The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 C.F.R. § 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps/VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. Education Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited law school with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) or LLM degree. Please see Required Documents for more information. A student loan repayment incentive may be available; if such an incentive is available and is authorized, a service agreement will be required. Additional Information Promotion Potential: This position has promotion potential to the GS-15. When promotion potential is shown, the agency is not making a commitment and is not obligated to provide future promotions to you if you are selected. Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval. Bargaining Unit Status: This is a non-bargaining position. E-Verify: DHS uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities. Direct Deposit: All federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing. Veterans' Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the Excepted Service; however, OPLA considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Financial Disclosure: If you are hired, you may be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) within 30 days after appointment. Suitability: If you receive a conditional offer of employment, you must complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment. Background Investigation: DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet these standards, all selected applicants must undergo a background investigation and successfully obtain and maintain a security clearance at the Secret level as a condition of placement into this position. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and tax obligations, and a review of certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs. Drug Test: Pursuant to Executive Order 12564 and the DHS Drug-Free Workplace Plan, ICE is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace. All applicants tentatively selected for employment are subject to pre-employment drug testing and a final offer of employment is contingent upon a negative result. OPLA will ensure that applicants with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations when appropriate. If reasonable accommodation is required for any part of the application process, please contact the OPLA representative listed on this announcement. One or more positions may be filled using this vacancy announcement.
