Leon Fresco

Partner
Leon Fresco

Overview

Leon Fresco is an immigration attorney in Holland & Knight's Washington, D.C., office where he focuses his practice on providing global immigration representation to businesses, universities and individuals. He also represents clients in administrative law matters, governmental investigations of workplace compliance with immigration laws, and has extensive appellate, commercial litigation and legislation experience. Mr. Fresco was the primary drafter of S.744, the U.S. Senate's comprehensive immigration reform bill of 2013. He uses his broad range of experience to develop creative solutions to achieve his clients' objectives, which often may involve multistage representation before administrative agencies and federal courts and the development of policy solutions.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Fresco was the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Immigration Litigation at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Division. In this position, Mr. Fresco provided litigation risk assessments to cabinet members in Executive Branch agencies. He also oversaw all civil immigration litigation on behalf of the federal government, including representation of the DOJ, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the U.S. Department of State (DOS). This involved supervision of more than 350 attorneys working on nearly 10,000 cases per year. He also advised and assisted client agencies in drafting immigration regulations. In this capacity, and prior to entering government service, Mr. Fresco argued extensively in six of the federal appellate circuit courts, including several en banc arguments.

Prior to joining the DOJ, Mr. Fresco was the staff director for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, handling matters involving immigration, refugees and border security, including managing the subcommittee's oversight functions involving the DOJ, DHS, HHS, DOL and DOS. He was the principal advisor to Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), former chairman of the subcommittee, on all aspects of immigration law and policy.

During his time on the subcommittee, Mr. Fresco drafted several pieces of legislation, including the 1) Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act, 2) the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act, 3) the Emergency Border Security Supplemental Appropriations Act and 4) the Israel E-2 Visa Bill.

Mr. Fresco was an associate and a Chesterfield Smith Fellow in Holland & Knight's Miami office prior to his work in Washington, D.C. He also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Daniel T.K. Hurley of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

From May 2019 to March 2021, Mr. Fresco served on the Homeland Security Advisory Council. He is a frequent commentator on the Bloomberg Law Podcast regarding all immigration matters in the news and in the courts.

He has taught various courses on immigration law and ethics as an adjunct professor at The George Washington University Law School and American University, Washington College of Law.

In Chambers USA – America's Leading Business Lawyers, Mr. Fresco was recognized for Immigration in the 2018-2022 guides. One market source comments:

He is "incredibly responsive, hard-working and has an encyclopedic knowledge of matters within his specialty."

Credentials

Education
  • Yale Law School, J.D.
  • University of Pennsylvania, B.A., Economics, Political Science, summa cum laude
Bar Admissions/Licenses
  • District of Columbia
  • Florida
Court Admissions
  • All State Courts in Florida
  • All Federal Courts in Florida
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Memberships
  • Homeland Security Advisory Council, May 2019-March 2021
  • Hispanic National Bar Association
Honors & Awards
  • The Best Lawyers in America guide, Immigration Law, 2020-2023
  • Holland & Knight Pro Bono All-Star, 2021
  • Washington, D.C., Super Lawyers magazine, 2020
  • Chambers USA – America's Leading Business Lawyers guide, Immigration, 2018-2023
  • Immigration Trailblazer, National Law Journal, 2018
  • South Florida Most Effective Pro Bono Lawyer, Daily Business Review, 2006-2009
  • Charles G. Albom Prize, Yale Law School, 2003
  • Simon Kuznets Fellowship Award, University of Pennsylvania, 1998

Multimedia

sound waves
Could the US Supreme Court Make SB4 Legal?
sound waves
Sanctuary City Policies and the Border Closure Debate
sound waves
Biden Administration Wins Over Texas at Supreme Court
sound waves
Exploring Border Policy Frictions: Leon Fresco on State-Federal Dynamics in Emergency Response
sound waves
Immigration Negotiations: Leon Fresco Unpacks Policy Dynamics
sound waves
Can Mexico Curb Migration to the U.S.?
sound waves
SCOTUS 2024, Immigration and Student Athletes
sound waves
Texas' Bold Move on Migrant Arrests
sound waves
Texas Moves to Enact Immigration Laws
sound waves
California's Push to Hire Undocumented Immigrants
sound waves
How the Biden Administration Is Addressing Rising Numbers of Migrants at the Southern Border
sound waves
Immigration Victory for Biden Administration
sound waves
Standoff Over 95-Year-Old Judge's Fitness
sound waves
U.S. and Canada Amend Asylum Agreement
sound waves
Billionaire's Divorce and Immigration Issues
sound waves
States Sue Administration Over Immigration Policy
sound waves
McCarthy Leadership Test, Biden Border Policy (Radio)
sound waves
Immigration Policy Outlook, U.S. Energy Infrastructure
sound waves
Chief Justice Delays End of Border Restrictions
sound waves
Will the Same-Sex Marriage Bill Become Law?
sound waves
Opening the Door to Prayer in Schools
sound waves
SCOTUS Rules Immigrants Can Be Detained Indefinitely
sound waves
One Solution to the Border Crisis
sound waves
Sunny Balwani's Defense in Second Theranos Trial
sound waves
Ukrainian Refugees Cannot Get Into U.S. Easily
sound waves
Gay Rights at Issue in Case Over Wedding Websites
sound waves
First Prison Sentence From Capitol Riot
sound waves
Victory for Longtime Immigrants at Supreme Court
sound waves
Supreme Court Evaluates Green Card Applications
Navigating the U.S. Immigration System in a Time of Uncertainty
Navigating the U.S. Immigration System in a Time of Uncertainty
Hot Topics in Higher Education
Hot Topics in Higher Education: 2021 Edition
sound waves
Can Former Child Slaves Sue Chocolate Companies?
sound waves
'Groundhog Day' Deportation Case at Supreme Court
sound waves
Conservatives Step Up Attack on Affirmative Action
sound waves
Did Postal Chief Violate Campaign Finance Laws?
sound waves
New Concerns About Accuracy of the Census

Publications

Speaking Engagements

News