Illegal Border Crossings Today:

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Media Inquiries

Our Spokespeople

Dan Stein
Daniel Stein
President
Julie Kirchner
Julie Kirchner
Executive Director
Ira Mehlman
Ira Mehlman
Media Director
  • Dan Stein
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    Daniel Stein

    President

    Dan Stein is an attorney who has worked for more than 35 years in the field of immigration law and law reform. He has been in his present position as President since January 2003.

    Prior to leading FAIR, Mr. Stein was the Executive Director of the Immigration Reform Law Institute, a public interest litigation group that has represented a variety of organizations in immigration and administrative law matters.

    Mr. Stein has also been in private law practice in real estate, federal agency litigation, criminal law and tax-exempt corporate law.

    A native of Washington, D.C., Mr. Stein’s interest in immigration began as a professional staff member of the U. S. House of Representatives’ Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control, where he studied U.S./Mexico border issues and international crop substitution efforts.

    Mr. Stein has published hundreds of articles on immigration policy, and through the years has appeared on national television thousands of times on just about every significant news program in America, has spoken to major groups across America, and has been asked to testify before Congress on related issues over 50 times.

    Mr. Stein is a graduate of Indiana University and the Catholic University School of Law.

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  • Julie Kirchner
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    Julie Kirchner

    Executive Director

    As Executive Director, Ms. Kirchner manages all operations of the organization, including policy development and implementation, and reports directly to FAIR’s Board.

    Ms. Kirchner has a proven record of success at FAIR, having worked for the organization between 2005 and 2015, first in government relations and then for eight years as Executive Director. During that time, she led FAIR through the fierce legislative battles of 2006, 2007, and 2013, beating back attempts by amnesty advocates to dismantle our immigration system and decimate the rule of law. She knows and understands FAIR well, and offers FAIR (and the movement it helped create) a sophisticated knowledge of immigration law and policy combined with management experience and leadership ability.  

    Ms. Kirchner also brings to FAIR a wealth of knowledge obtained through years of hands-on work in our nation’s immigration agencies. After her initial tenure at FAIR, Ms. Kirchner served four years as an official at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) where she fought to improve our immigration system. Her first role was Senior Advisor to the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), where she guided various border security efforts, including the implementation of tactical infrastructure at the southern border, development of border security metrics, and coordination of outreach initiatives to the public.

    Between 2017 and 2019, Ms. Kirchner served as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Ombudsman. As Ombudsman, she led an independent office within DHS headquarters dedicated to helping immigration benefits seekers and visa applicants navigate USCIS procedures and resolve problems.

    In January 2020, Ms. Kirchner was appointed to serve as Senior Advisor at the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO), a new and independent agency within DHS created by Congress. As Senior Advisor, Ms. Kirchner was the executive responsible for building a new agency from scratch by establishing the necessary administrative infrastructure, financial operations, information technology, and reporting functions, and developing the Office’s core programs.

    Ms. Kirchner earned her B.A. at Yale University and her law degree, with high distinction, at the University of Iowa College of Law. As a young lawyer, Ms. Kirchner worked as a private litigator, a criminal prosecutor, and as counsel at the Minnesota House of Representatives.

  • Ira Mehlman
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    Ira Mehlman

    Media Director

    Ira joined FAIR in 1986 with experience as a journalist, professor of journalism, special assistant, and press secretary of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. His columns have appeared in National Review, LA Times, NY Times, Washington Post, Newsweek, and more. He is an experienced TV and radio commentator.

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