Ombudsman
Luke Bellocchi was appointed Ombudsman, Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman. In this capacity, he will serve as an independent and impartial resource for relevant stakeholders to resolve problems, and provide reform recommendations after conducting autonomous investigations of immigration detention issues.
Mr. Bellocchi returns to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with a wealth of experience and knowledge in immigration law and policy. Previously, he served at DHS as Assistant Commissioner, Customs & Border Protection, and as Deputy Ombudsman for Citizenship and Immigration Services
Mr. Bellocchi has also served as immigration and homeland security Counsel on both House and Senate Committee staffs, including the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), the Senate Republican Policy Committee, and House Judiciary Committee (Subcommittee on Immigration). His work included oversight investigations and hearings concerning immigration detention, border security, comprehensive and merit-based immigration reform, human trafficking, counter-terrorism watch-listing, employer sanctions and worksite enforcement, immigration benefits backlogs, fraud and corruption at immigration agencies, countering domestic terrorism, and implementing 9/11 Commission recommendations.
Mr. Bellocchi has also worked as an Attorney Advisor for consular affairs, at the U.S. Department of State, for visa, passport, and citizenship issues, and as an immigration attorney in both large and boutique law firms. He has lived in a variety of places throughout his life, including India, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Botswana, Vietnam, Thailand, and domestically in Hawaii, upstate New York, and the Washington, DC area.
Mr. Bellocchi earned graduate degrees from the University of Virginia, Georgetown Law School, National Intelligence University, and State University of New York. He is a member of the Bar in Maryland, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia.