Assistant Secretary for Border and Immigration Policy
Royce Bernstein Murray is the Assistant Secretary for Border and Immigration Policy at the Department of Homeland Security. She has worked in the field of immigration for 25 years, with experience in the federal government, nonprofit sector, and higher education.
Royce began her career working for the Immigration and Naturalization Service Office of International Affairs as a Presidential Management Fellow and Asylum Officer. She subsequently worked at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Office of the Chief Counsel, Refugee and Asylum Law Division.
Prior to rejoining the Department of Homeland Security in early 2021, Royce worked at the American Immigration Council as the Managing Director of Programs and Policy Director where she helped lead the organization and oversee its advocacy, legal, and communications work. Prior to these roles, Royce served as the Director of Policy for the National Immigrant Justice Center where she co-led NGO engagements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement through the ICE-NGO Working Group.
As a consultant, Royce worked on research, publications, and advocacy projects with organizations including the Center for Global Development, World Bank Nordic Trust Fund, and National Immigration Forum. In addition, she taught immigration and refugee law as an adjunct professor at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law.
Royce holds a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center and a Bachelor of Arts with distinction from the University of Michigan. She is a member of the New York bar.