Team

Kerry E. Doyle Esq.

Of Counsel

Providence (New England)

400 Westminster Street, Suite #49 Providence, RI 02903 US

Bio

Kerry E. Doyle has more than twenty-five years of experience in the immigration and refugee law and policy arena having recently served as Deputy General Counsel (DGC), Office of General Counsel (OGC), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the Biden Administration. As DGC, Ms. Doyle oversaw the immigration portfolio and the Immigration Division at OGC, as well as previously managing the Regulations, Intelligence, and Operations and Enforcement Law Divisions of OGC. From this position, she managed and oversaw a number of the most significant policies and regulations that were promulgated by DHS during 2024. Ms. Doyle came to OGC from her presidential appointment in 2021 as Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Principal Legal Advisor (General Counsel) with the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA), leading the more than 1,700 OPLA attorneys and staff across the country. 

Following her service at DHS, Ms. Doyle was appointed by the Attorney General as an Immigration Judge in the Chelmsford, Massachusetts Immigration Court in December 2024. Her service was cut short in February 2025 due to the current administration’s interest in reducing staffing in the federal government. 

Prior to DHS, Ms. Doyle was managing partner of a small immigration firm focused on complex removal cases and federal litigation. She also worked in Boston, Miami and Hong Kong for several non-profit organizations managing their legal departments. She taught Refugee and Asylum Law as an adjunct professor at University of Miami School of Law and Immigration Law at Suffolk University School of Law.

In addition to this work, she was appointed to two three-year terms as a voluntary hearing officer by the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers to preside over cases related to attorney disciplinary matters from 2016 through 2021.

She is a member of the Massachusetts Bar, the Supreme Court Bar and the bars of Several

Federal Courts of Appeals and District Courts. Kerry E. Doyle earned a Bachelor of Arts from The George Washington University, and a Juris Doctorate cum laude from the American University, Washington College of Law.

Education

  • American University, Washington College of Law, J.D., Cum Laude
  • The George Washington University, B.A., Political Science

Affiliations

  • American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), New England Chapter Chair and Liaison to Homeland Security Investigations, 1999-2024
  • Member, Commonwealth of Massachusetts Bar, March 1994
  • Member, Supreme Court of the United States Bar, October 1997
  • First Circuit Court of Appeals Bar, April 2002
  • Member, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Bar, November 2013
  • Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals Bar, November 2002
  • Member, United States District Court for District of Massachusetts Bar, Nov. 2001
  • Member, United States District Court for District of Columbia Bar, May 2021

Involvement

  • Represented detained individuals under the National Qualified Representative Program, Pro Bono
  • Provided technical assistance and testimony on immigration policy, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition and the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute

Awards

  • AILA Rome Chapter, Pro Bono Award, Travel Ban Litigation, Boston District Court, June 2017
  • Political Asylum and Immigration Representation Project, Pro Bono Firm of the Year, June 2014
  • John Adams and John Quincy Adams Pro Bono Publico Award for work on Gillen v. Saysana, 590 F. 3d 7 (1st Cir. 2009), Supreme Judicial Court of Mass., Oct. 2011
  • Jack Wasserman Memorial Award, American Immigration Lawyers Association as Member of AILA Amicus Committee, July 2010
  • Church World Service, Outstanding Contribution to the Immigration and Refugee Program, June 1997
  • The Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, University of Miami School of Law Chapter, “Outstanding Achievement & Shared Commitment in Support of Immigration Project,” April 1997

Events

No event found!

Media and Presentations

  • Frequent speaker at national and regional immigration conferences, sought-after speaker on Government process and policy; complex immigration topics; annual speaker at AILA National as well as local and regional trainings and events.
  • Co-led recurring training sessions for pro bono attorneys with Boston EOIR and AILA New England

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