Matthew O'Brien

Judge profile

This profile is summarized from public sources for background context only. It is not an ImmJudge evaluation.

Attorney General William P. Barr appointed Matthew J. O’Brien as an immigration judge in June 2020. Judge O’Brien earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1991 from the Johns Hopkins University,a Juris Doctor in 1995 from the University of Maine School of Law, and a Master of Arts in 2018 from the Institute of World Politics. From 2016 to 2020, he served as the director ofresearch at the Federation for American Immigration Reform. From 2014 to 2016, he served as asupervisory immigration officer, Headquarters Component, Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate (FDNS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Departmentof Homeland Security (DHS), in the District of Columbia. From 2011 to 2014, he served as asenior advisor to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman, DHS, in the District of Columbia. From 2008 to 2011, he served as supervisory policy analyst, Headquarters,FDNS, USCIS, DHS, in the District of Columbia. From 2003 to 2008, he served as assistantchief counsel, Institutional Hearing Program, Office of Chief Counsel, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DHS, in New York. From 1997 to 2003,he was in private practice, in Boston and New York. From 1996 to 1997, he served as a districtadjudications officer with the former Immigration and Naturalization Service, Department of Justice. Judge O’Brien is a member of the Massachusetts State Bar.