Robert L. O’Malley

Immigration Attorney

Bob serves as counsel in Varnum’s Business and Corporate Practice Team, where his work centers on immigration, including removal matters, regulatory compliance, and humanitarian and protection matters, such as affirmative asylum. With direct federal experience at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Bob understands how immigration decisions are made and how agencies operate.

During his tenure with DHS, Bob held leadership, operational, and advisory roles, most recently as a Senior Policy Advisor with the Border Security and Immigration Policy team at DHS Headquarters and Section Chief with the Refugee, Asylum and International Operations Directorate of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services(USCIS). In this capacity, he oversaw teams conducting refugee adjudications abroad and coordinated with federal partners and international agencies on policy matters, operational challenges, and priority humanitarian cases.

His DHS work also included 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 joining DHS, 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.

Honors and Recognitions

Department of Homeland Security, Secretary’s Award, 2021, 2022

Professional Affiliations

American Immigration Lawyer’s Association

State Bar of Illinois

State Bar of Michigan

Community Involvement

Adjunct professor, Hope College

International relations commissioner, City of Holland

Welcome Plan West Michigan, Safe and Connected Communities, team member

Publications

Road Map to Successful Immigrant Integration for Local Leaders (Naval Postgraduate School, Center for Homeland Defense and Security, December 2020), available at https://www.hsdl.org/c/view?docid=850290