On November 15, 2015, Matthew Emrich began serving as the associate director for the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate (FDNS), where he leads more than 270 headquarters-based staff who issue operational guidance to more than 1,180 FDNS personnel in the field. Emrich also serves as the Key Intelligence Official for USCIS. In November 2012, Emrich was selected as the deputy associate director of FDNS.
At FDNS, Emrich draws on his experience and knowledge to develop and operationalize new security screening techniques such as enhanced FDNS review of refugee and asylum applicants and high-volume social media vetting. FDNS units conducting these activities received Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary’s Awards. Emrich has also served as a subject matter expert presenter at the National Counterterrorism Center on the topic of terrorism.
Emrich has more than 28 years of immigration law enforcement and intelligence experience. He began his civilian government career in 1997 as a special agent for the Chicago District of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). While in the INS, Emrich’s criminal investigator assignments included a state and local police repeat offender task force and the Chicago FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. Emrich also served as a supervisory special agent at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and later held supervisory positions in the ICE Office of Intelligence.