Join the fast-paced federal litigation practitioners of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of the Principal Legal Advisor's (OPLA) District Court Litigation Division (DCLD) and leverage your legal experience to protect the homeland. Applicants may apply for positions in one or more locations and should indicate their order of preference in their cover letter. The salary range listed is the General Schedule (GS) base rate.
Click here to access the GS locality pay tables.
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.
Selected attorneys will primarily serve as DHS's agency counsel by representing agency interests in civil litigation and through the adjudication of administrative tort claims. DCLD attorneys work closely with the DHS Office of the General Counsel Headquarters (OGC HQ), other DHS component legal offices, and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) entities, such as Civil Division, including the Office of Immigration Litigation, Torts Branch, as well as U.S.
Attorney's Offices throughout the nation. DCLD attorneys: Manage federal civil litigation against ICE and cases that otherwise impact ICE equities; Assist ICE personnel, OGC HQ, and DOJ in all aspects of federal civil litigation, including: the development of legal strategy and arguments, motion practice, discovery, settlement negotiations, trials, and appeals in cases ranging from common-law torts suits, lawsuits under and Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Fed.
Bureau of Narcotics, 403 U.S. 388 (1971), and suits seeking injunctive or declaratory relief under the Constitution, including class actions; Adjudicate administrative claims for personal injuries and property damage pursuant to the Federal Tort Claims Act, 28 U.S.C.
§§ 2671-2680; Provide oral and written guidance to ICE leadership and employees and conduct training, regarding litigation risks; and Represent ICE's interests in litigation-related discussions with other agencies and DHS components. 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.
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.
This position is with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security.
The posted pay range is $63795 – $139684/yr.
This position requires a Secret security clearance.
Applications close on 2026-09-18.
This position is open under the 'Public' hiring path.
Source: USAJOBS.gov — U.S. Federal Government
Apply on official site →