The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) was created on January 9, 1983,
through an internal Department of Justice (DOJ) reorganization which combined
the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA or Board) with the Immigration Judge function
previously performed by the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)
(now part of the Department of Homeland Security). Besides establishing EOIR as
a separate agency within DOJ, this reorganization made the Immigration Courts
independent of INS, the agency charged with enforcement of Federal immigration
laws. The Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer (OCAHO) was added
in 1987.
EOIR is also separate from the Office of Special Counsel for
Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices in the DOJ Civil Rights Division
and the Office of Immigration Litigation in the DOJ Civil Division.
return to EOIR main page
