Partner

Government Strategies and Compliance

T +1 202 223 5515

F +1 202 349 2078

1101 15th Street, N.W.
Suite 700

Washington, DC 20005
United States of America

Immigration Minute

Patrick discusses what led him to practice immigration law.

Contact Fragomen's Washington, DC office.
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Bar Admissions

District of Columbia
Colorado

Court Admissions

U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

Education

Brigham Young University
,
J.D.
,
1994
Brigham Young University
,
B.A.
,
1990

Spoken Languages

Mandarin Chinese

Patrick Shen

Patrick is a partner in Fragomen's Government Strategies and Corporate Compliance Group. In this capacity, he works with U.S. and multinational clients to maintain compliant immigration programs.

Prior to rejoining Fragomen, Patrick was appointed by the President and confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate as Special Counsel for Immigration-related Unfair Employment Practices in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. He also served as Policy and Planning Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Department of Homeland Security, and Chief Immigration Counsel of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Earlier in his career, Patrick spent several years as an immigration litigator for the Justice Department, having served as Assistant District Counsel of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and a trial lawyer in the United States Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, NY and the Justice Department in Washington, DC, representing INS and other agencies in federal courts. He also had a stint in private practice as Director of Government Relations for Fragomen prior to his presidential appointment.

Patrick is an adjunct professor at American University’s Washington College of Law, and is a volunteer emergency medical technician with his local fire department in Maryland. He was a sports reporter in Taiwan before returning to the United States to attend law school.

Representative Experience

Represented employers across all sectors in immigration compliance audits by the U.S. government, and assisted them with self-audits.

Defended employers against charges of immigration-related employment discrimination before administrative law judges.

Advocated before Congress and federal agencies on behalf of the country’s leading employers and trade associations for more efficient immigration and employment eligibility verification laws.

Handled numerous pro bono refugee and humanitarian parole cases.

Represented the United States government in hundreds of immigration-related cases before the federal district courts, courts of appeals, and administration tribunals between 1996 and 2003.

Professional Accomplishments

Memberships

American Immigration Lawyers’ Association

Asian-Pacific American Bar Association

Asian-American Government Executives Network

Publications and Lectures

Co-Author, “Retaining Homegrown Talent Serves Our National Interest.” The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, Vol. 20, No. 7 (July/August 2012): 33. Print.

Speaker, "How to Prepare for Changes to the Form I-9," American Council on International Personnel, webinar, May 17, 2012.

Co-Author, Enforcement of Immigration Laws Against Employers in the Obama Administration - Legal Briefs on Immigration Reform from 25 of the Top Legal Minds in the Country, Vol. 1, edited by Deborah Robinson and Mona Parsa, Esq. United States: Robinson Omnimedia Publishing and Studios, 2011. 101-113. Print.

Co-Author, “Employment Eligibility Compliance: How to Avoid Common Pitfalls.” The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, Vol. 19, No. 8 (August 2011): 11. Print.

Co-Author, “Enforcement of Immigration Laws in the Obama Administration.” Texas State Bar Section Newsletter: Corporate Counsel, Vol 6. Nol. 2 (Spring 2011): 10-12. Print.

Speaker, “Book’em Danno – Fortifying Your Vulnerabilities Against ICE Enforcement.” Lecture, Annual Symposium of the American Council on International Personnel, Arlington, VA, 2011.

Speaker, “Worried About Our Self-IMAGE? Weighing the Pros and Cons of Enrolling in IMAGE and E-Verify.” Lecture, Annual Symposium of the American Council on International Personnel, Arlington, VA, 2010.

Speaker, Lecture, Annual Symposium of the American Council on International Personnel, Arlington, VA, 2010.

Speaker, “Employer Compliance For Experts,” ILW.com, phone seminar, December 2, 2009.

Speaker, Annual Symposium of the American Council on International Personnel, Arlington, VA, 2009.

Author, “The History and Functions of the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Employment Discrimination.” In Navigating Government Immigration Issues: Leading Immigration and Refugee Resettlement Experts on Addressing Employment, Education, and Health Care Issues for Immigrants (Inside the Minds), edited by Aspatore Books Staff. United States: Thompson-Reuters, December 2008. 21-32. Print.

Speaker, 41st Annual Immigration and Naturalization Institute, New York, NY, October 15, 2008.

Speaker, Annual Symposium of the American Council on International Personnel, Arlington, VA, 2008.

Speaker, “Interagency Plenary Session.” Lecture, Annual Conference of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Vancouver, BC (Canada), June 25, 2008.

Speaker, "How to Avoid Hitting an 'ICE'berg.” Lecture, Spring Conference of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Washington, DC, April 4, 2008.

Speaker, “Employment Law and Legislative Conference.” Lecture, Society for Human Resource Management, Washington, DC, Mar. 11, 2008.

Speaker, "Anti-discrimination Provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act," American Immigration Lawyers’ Association, podcast audio, Jan. 31, 2008.

Speaker, “Conquering the Tsunami: Employer Enforcement Hot Topics,” seminar series for Immigration Law Weekly, webcast audio, Dec. 20, 2007, Jan. 24, 2008, and Feb. 7, 2008.

Speaker, Worksite Enforcement Conference of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Phoenix, AZ, Dec. 1, 2007.

Speaker, Annual Symposium of the American Council on International Personnel, Arlington, VA, 2007.

Speaker, Annual Symposium of the American Council on International Personnel, Arlington, VA, 2006.

Co-Author, “Let Our National Interest Guide Our Immigration Policy.” Engage: The Journal of the Federalist Society Practice Groups, Vol. 6, No..2 (Oct. 2005): 104-106. Print.

Speaker, Annual Symposium of the American Council on International Personnel, Arlington, VA, 2005.

Awards

Special Act Award, Immigration and Naturalization Service, U.S. Department of Justice, 2003

Meritorious Award for Exemplary Service, Office of Immigration Litigation, U.S. Department of Justice, 2002

Director’s Award for Superior Performance, Executive Office for United States Attorneys, U.S. Department of Justice, 2001

Sustained Superior Accomplishment Award, Immigration and Naturalization Service, U.S. Department of Justice, 1997