U.S. Department
of Justice
Office of the General Counsel
The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) provides legal advice on a wide variety of matters involving the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) and its employees in the performance of their official duties. The OGC staff serves as agency counsel in Federal court litigation, assists the Office of Policy in developing agency regulations, responds to all Freedom of Information and Privacy Act requests and serves as the designated point of contact regarding Standards of Conduct and other ethics guidance for all EOIR employees. The Employee/Labor Relations Unit of OGC advises agency managers on personnel issues, defends Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) actions filed against the agency, monitors investigations conducted by the Office of Professional Responsibility in the Department of Justice (DOJ), and defends against unfair labor practices charges. OGC also administers the Fraud and Abuse Prevention Program and the Attorney Discipline Program and supervises the Certification Unit. Additionally, OGC responds to requests relating to the Asylum EAD Clock Requests for cases on appeal before the Board of Immigration Appeals or the federal circuit courts of appeals. OGC also serves as the principal point of contact for other DOJ offices and government agencies on all agency-related legal matters.
Meet the General Counsel
Miguel R. Acosta
Miguel R. Acosta was appointed as EOIR’s General Counsel in December 2025 by Attorney General Pamela Bondi. Mr. Acosta received his undergraduate degree magna cum laude from the University of Tampa in 2004. He graduated from the Florida State University College of Law in 2007 cum laude where he interned as a law clerk at the Florida Supreme Court, was competitively selected for three law journals, and earned two book awards (highest grade in class). Mr. Acosta began his legal career on active duty with the U.S. Air Force as a Judge Advocate. During his time on active duty, Mr. Acosta tried over 45 jury and bench trials as a prosecutor or defense counsel. He also acted as government representative in two labor arbitrations, litigated in several administrative boards, and handled a variety of torts filed against the Air Force. He deployed to Iraq in 2009 for six months, managing the high threat detainee investigations in southern Iraq. After separating honorably from active duty in 2012, Mr. Acosta clerked for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Orlando. In January 2014, he joined a law firm in Orlando, Florida, and chaired the firm’s federal and appellate practice section for over four years. Mr. Acosta was then re-activated by the Air Force in 2018 to serve as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Texas (El Paso) for six months, prosecuting exclusively immigration related crimes. After his military tour ended, in 2019, Mr. Acosta was appointed as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Georgia (Atlanta) where he served for over four years, leading Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Taskforce investigations and prosecutions involving wiretaps and electronic surveillance techniques; prosecuting complex fraud, human smuggling, firearms offenses, and violent crimes; and advising and assisting agents in preparing search warrants and conducting long term investigations. He also tried four federal jury trials as lead prosecutor, obtaining guilty verdicts on all charges. Just prior to his appointment at EOIR, from May 2023 to December 2025, Mr. Acosta was a partner at a law firm in Orlando, Florida, managing the firm’s associates and practicing in the areas of personal injury defense, commercial litigation, employment disputes, and appeals. Mr. Acosta continues to serve as a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard as the Staff Judge Advocate (general counsel) for Savannah Air National Guard Base, Georgia. He is a member of the bar in Florida and Georgia and is licensed to practice in several federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.