Attorney General William P. Barr appointed Jose A. Rivera-Ortiz as an immigration judge in June 2020. Judge Rivera-Ortiz earned a Bachelor of Science in 1995 from Purdue University Fort Wayne and a Juris Doctor in 1999 from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law. From 2017 to 2020, he served as an assistant chief counsel, Office of Chief Counsel (OCC), Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in Miami, where he co-led the Homeland Security Investigations Embedded Attorneys Program. From 2007 to 2017, he served as an assistant chief counsel, OCC, OPLA, ICE, DHS, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. From 2001 to 2007 he served as an attorney advisor with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Department of Justice, in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. From 2000 to 2001, he served as an assistant to the deputy secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Judge Rivera-Ortiz is a member of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Bar.