USCIS Selects New Deputy Director

On May 10, 2019, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it had selected Mark Koumans as its new Deputy Director [PDF version].

The USCIS describes Koumans as “a career federal employee…” Koumans has served in various capacities with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) since 2015. Prior to his service with CBP, Koumans served for eight years as a Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Policy and as a member of the U.S. Foreign Service for 17 years. Koumans replaces Tracy Renaud, who had been serving as the acting Deputy Director of USCIS since March 2019.

The appointment of Koumans continues a large shakeup in the DHS immigration components over the past few months. Although there have been rumors that USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna might be replaced, he remains in his position for the time being. Regarding the choice of Koumans, Director Cissna stated that “[h]e brings a wealth of experience working complex immigration, organization, and operational issues with our partners at Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security headquarters, and State.”