Bob serves as counsel in Varnum’s Business and Corporate Practice Team, where his work centers on immigration law, including removal defense, regulatory compliance, and humanitarian and protection matters, such as affirmative asylum. With federal experience at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Bob provides clients with insight into national immigration policy, agency decision-making, and enforcement priorities.
During his tenure with DHS, Bob held senior roles, including Senior Policy Advisor with the Border Security and Immigration Policy team and Section Chief with the Refugee, Asylum and International Operations Directorate of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). He led teams conducting refugee adjudications abroad and coordinated with federal and international partners on complex policy, operational, and humanitarian matters.
His experience includes deployments in support of Operation Allies Refuge/Welcome and assignments at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, where he supported parole operations and interagency coordination for vulnerable Afghan nationals. For his service, he received the Secretary’s Meritorious Service Silver Medal Award.
Earlier in his DHS career, Bob served as an Attorney Advisor in the Office of General Counsel, where he advised the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties on legal, policy, and operational issues. He also held roles involving asylum adjudications, credible fear screenings, migrant protection protocols processing, and other immigration initiatives.
Before his federal service, Bob was a law clerk at Tobin & Muñoz, L.L.C. and the Cook County Public Defender’s Office. He holds a Master of Arts in Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School, a Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from the University of Illinois Chicago.
