Alfonso Aguilar, Chief, Office of Citizenship, USCIS

Appointed by President George W. Bush in 2003, Alfonso Aguilar is the first Chief of the Office of Citizenship within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.  As Chief of the Office of Citizenship, Mr. Aguilar is charged with leading efforts to promote an understanding of the civic principles on which this nation was founded and increase public awareness of the benefits and responsibilities associated with U.S. citizenship.

Under his leadership, the federal government has reinvigorated assimilation efforts for the first time in nearly 100 years.  Since 2003, the Office of Citizenship has developed products and initiatives that promote instruction and training on the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship and provide immigrants with information and tools necessary to successfully integrate into American civic culture.  As Chair of the Task Force on New Americans’ Technical Committee, an interagency federal task force created by President George W. Bush, Mr. Aguilar is leading efforts to enhance and coordinate government-wide immigrant integration initiatives.  

Mr. Aguilar joined U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, within the Department of Homeland Security, in 2003 after serving as Press Secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean in the U.S. Agency for International Development.  He joined the Bush Administration in May 2001, as Deputy Director of Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of Energy where he remained until August 2002.

Mr. Aguilar moved to Washington, D.C. in 2000 to serve as the Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration.  In this capacity, he advised the Governor and other officials on issues, initiatives, and developments of importance to Puerto Rico.  He also worked closely with members of the United States Congress and others in key leadership positions promoting a better understanding of economic and cultural issues associated with the Caribbean island.  Previously, he had joined the Puerto Rico Governor’s executive team as his Press Secretary.  Mr. Aguilar began his career in the Department of State of the Government of Puerto Rico in San Juan, coordinating and facilitating government efforts to promote international trade.

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Mr. Aguilar is the son of immigrants.  He received his Bachelor of Arts and Letters in 1991 from the University of Notre Dame where he studied Government and International Studies, and later received his Juris Doctor in 1995 from the University of Puerto Rico.  He is a member of the Puerto Rico Bar Association, the League of United Latin American Citizens, and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.