Office of Immigration Litigation, District Court National Security Section

The Office of Immigration Litigation, District Court National Security Section (OIL-DNS), handles immigration litigation with a national security nexus that originates in the federal district courts, as well as appeals that arise from those cases. OIL-DNS attorneys handle cases in federal district courts and courts of appeals across the nation, which affords them the opportunity to gain valuable experience in trial court and appellate practice in a complex area of federal law. Its attorneys frequently address questions of federal jurisdiction, statutory interpretation, administrative law, and constitutional law—all in the context of national security and federal immigration law, regulations, and policy.  

OIL-DNS handles a diverse docket of national security-related defensive cases, including national-security-focused challenges to denials and delays of adjudications of requests for United States citizenship, passports, lawful permanent residency, visas, and other immigration benefits; habeas petitions filed by individuals posing national security threats; and class-action and programmatic challenges to national-security checks and immigration-benefit adjudicatory procedures. OIL-DNS defends and advises the Departments of Homeland Security and State, and other executive agencies, on these matters. OIL-DNS is responsible for developing national litigation positions and strategies in coordination with U.S. Attorney’s Offices and law enforcement community.