Investigators: Nepotism was rampant with U.S. immigration court’s interns
The U.S. immigration courts are again in the news. The Washington Post reports that federal investigators found rampant nepotism in recent years within the Executive Office for Immigration Review, including three top officials who used their positions to help relatives land paid internships. In a report, Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said about 16 percent of the interns hired between 2007 and 2012 for the Executive Office of Immigration Review’s Student Temporary Employment Program were family members of employees. The high-level officials involved in the behavior included Immigration Review Director Juan Osuna, Chief Immigration Judge Brian O’Leary and Board of Immigration Appeals Chair David Neal, all of whom violated federal nepotism laws by helping relatives obtain positions with the internship program, according to investigators.