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Amy Pope

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Amy Pope
Pope in 2023
11th Director General of International Organization for Migration
Incumbent
Assumed office
October 1, 2023
DeputyUgochi Daniels, SungAh Lee
Preceded byAntónio Vitorino
Deputy Homeland Security Advisor
In office
2015–2017
PresidentBarack Obama
Vice PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byRand Beers
Succeeded byRob Joyce
Senior Advisor to the President of the United States
In office
2021 – July 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
Vice PresidentKamala Harris
Preceded byRoberta Jacobson
Succeeded byTyler Moran
Attorney for the United States Department of Justice
In office
2010–2012
Personal details
BornAmy Eileen Pope
March 1974 (age 52)
Cleveland, Ohio
Children2
Education
Occupation
  • Attorney
  • trial attorney
  • federal prosecutor
Years active
1990s–present

Amy Eileen Pope (born March 1974) is an American attorney, former trial attorney,[1] federal prosecutor, former member of the U.S. Department of Justice Legislative Detailee, and the director general of the International Organization for Migration. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Pope went to Duke University School of Law, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in political science. After graduating in 2001, she became an attorney for the United States Department of Justice. (D.O.J.)

Pope was Deputy Homeland Security Advisor under the Obama administration from 2015 to 2017. Pope served as a senior advisor for the Biden administration, although she later quit in July 2021. She took office and became the director general of the International Organization for Migration on October 1, 2023, after winning the election due to her opponent, António Vitorino, withdrawing from the race. As of 2026, Pope lives in Geneva, Switzerland, and is married with two daughters.

Early life and education

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Family

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Amy Eileen Pope was born into a poor conservative Christian family in March 1974 in Cleveland, Ohio, and at age nine, Pope's family moved from Cleveland to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, into a Jewish community so her father could start a church as a lay pastor.[2][3][4] Pope said in an interview that her family migrated from Sweden to the United States in the 1890s as farmers looking for better jobs and that her grandmother's mother was Indian while her father was British.[3][5]

Education

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She attended Duke University School of Law, studying civil rights law at Duke University School of Law, where she earned her Juris Doctor.[6][3] She also went to Haverford College in the early 2000s in Pennsylvania, where she got her Bachelor of Arts in political science and became a political science major.[6] and she also gained from the D.O.J. honors paralegal program, which was recommended to her by Indya Kincannon; she was a student at it for two years.[7][5]

During her time in university in the mid-90s, Pope wrote papers on if the European Union could create common migration policies.[3] Her work with the Mexican border security later led to the White House in Washington, D.C.[5] In her junior year she went to Paris to study, joining an exchange program with Sciences Po.[3]

Career

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2001–2021: College, attorney, clerkship, Senator to Harry Reid, Atlantic Council, Obama administration, Biden administration

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Pope's Deputy Homeland Security Advisor portrait

After graduating magna cum laude from Duke University School of Law in 2001, Pope became a prosecuting attorney for the United States Department of Justice in the Civil Rights Division, dealing with police misconduct, police brutality, and human trafficking; she was also a partner of Schillings, a British law firm based in London.[8][9][10] Before becoming a government official, she also got a federal appellate clerkship for Kim McLane Wardlaw on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.[11][12] Pope served as U.S. Department of Justice Legislative Detailee to Senator Harry Reid's office while he was Senate Democratic Majority Leader from 2009 to 2010.[13]

Pope worked at the National Security Council for four years; she was Deputy Homeland Security Advisor and deputy assistant to the president under the Obama administration from 2015 till 2017, coordinating responses to crises such as the Ebola and Zika virus outbreaks and also working on homeland security issues.[14][15][5] In July 2016, Pope, Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, and former president Barack Obama met in the White House to talk with him on the non-travel Zika virus-related announcements by the Florida Department of Health.[16]

Pope served as a Senior Nonresident Fellow of the Atlantic Council from January 2017 to March 2021.[12][17] During Joe Biden's presidency, Pope served as senior advisor, managing migration, refugees, human trafficking, and climate-related crises, later leaving her role in the White House in July 2021.[18]

Before Pope ran for Director General of IOM, she was the Deputy Director General for Management and Reform.[19] During her time as Deputy Director, she oversaw reforms across 400 field locations and 17,000 staff and led reform efforts, causing a $75 million commitment from governments that optimized field delivery, managed risk, improved accountability, and strengthened coordination with the United Nations system.[19]

2023–present: Director General of the International Organization for Migration

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In March 2023, Pope along with Michele J. Sison visited Madagascar to learn about the issues the country is facing with migration.[20] Both met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Yvette Sylla and Minister of the Interior Justin Tokely to discuss how IOM could assist with the migration issues.[20]

A cropped photo of Pope meeting Richard R. Verma in 2023

In October 2023, Secretary Antony Blinken announced in a statement that the United States nominated Pope for the role as Director General of the International Organization for Migration, at the time she was serving as Deputy Director General for Management and Reform.[21][22][23] Former president Joe Biden gave a statement on Pope's candidacy in May 2023, with him stating that "Amy Pope is an innovative, strategic leader, and I strongly support her candidacy".[24][25][26]

On May 15, 2023, Pope was elected director general of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), becoming the first woman in history to be elected to it.[27][28][29] Pope was running against António Vitorino, who gained 98 votes, while Vitorino got 67 votes.[30][31][32] Although Pope fell 12 votes behind in round one, Vitorino later withdrew from the election.[33][34][35] In June 2023, Pope was in talks with companies such as Microsoft to ask for assistance in building a partnership for dealing with migration.[36][37]

Pope in July 2023

She took office on October 1, 2023, and is the 11th director general, making a new strategic path for addressing increasing migration levels in the United States.[15][10][38][39] According to her, the path is meant to allow the IOM to stop problems before they become crises.[40][41][42] She also began implementing as director general for management and reform, leading changes that focus on the IOM's structure and resources, stating that "Migrants are people first, not problems".[43][44][45] During the US-Africa Leaders Summit, Pope said to The Africa Report that she planned to prioritize Africa in aiding them with migration advice and supplies.[46]

In January 2024, Pope met with Pope Francis in the Apostolic Palace, in which Francis offered to be a voice for migration and support it.[47] On March 9, 2024, Pope met with Secretary Antony Blinken in Washington, D.C., to discuss supporting safe migration through the Safe Mobility Office in the Western Hemisphere. They also talked about the Israel-Hamas war and the IOM's operation in Gaza, recognizing that "Palestinian civilians need assistance."[48]

In July 2024, Pope offered assistance to Greece in further protecting migrants, in which Pope stated that, "This agreement ensures that IOM can continue to provide critical services".[49] She also visited a reception facility for asylum seekers in Schisto, speaking with some of the migrants out of the 700 on their futures and aspirations.[49] On July 11, 2024, it was announced by Pope that the IOM took in hundreds of millions of dollars towards funding its foundation, in which Pope stated that “over a third of the appeal has been funded so far.”[50]

In July 2025, when the United Kingdom and France were getting ready to announce block crossing, Pope publicly warned both countries, stating that "It's too late to stop people from crossing the channel" and that, "More orderly migration would ease crisis".[51][52][53] In September 2025, Pope called for stronger cooperation with migrants at the United Nations General Assembly.[54] On May 5, 2026, Pope spoke at the International Migration Review Forum 2026 at the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York City, where she spoke about the performance of IOM and what lies ahead for it.[55][56]

On May 28, 2026, Pope and the Government of the Netherlands held a meeting to re-establish its commitment by announcing an aid of 16 million euro for a period of four years to support and ensure the safety of migrants.[57] In July 2026, Pope visited Guyana to discuss how to strengthen IOM's support of the Member State in dealing with migration, meeting with five ministers of government. Pope also spoke with migrants and IOM staff in relation to migration.[58] On July 1, 2026, Pope met with Geneva government officials in relation to how Geneva could build its roadmap for the future of humanitarian aid and recovery programs in government areas.[59]

2023 election

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On May 15, 2023, the International Organization for Migration Member States elected Pope as their next Director General during its 6th Special Session of the IOM Council.[60][61][62]

Statistics

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Candidates Country Votes Result All votes Ref
Amy E. Pope United States 98 Elected by acclamation 165 [63]
António Vitorino Portugal 67 Withdrew

Personal life

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As of 2026, Pope lives in Geneva, Switzerland, and is married with two daughters.[43]

References

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  1. ↑ "Civil Rights Division | Mwanza Assessment". www.justice.gov. August 6, 2015. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  2. ↑ "UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS" (PDF). ca4.uscourts.gov. January 24, 2005.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Nations, United. "Amy Pope | Everybody has Purpose (S9-E6)". United Nations. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Amy POPE personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Amy Pope '96 Brings Some Haverfordian Kindness to Pennsylvania Avenue | Haverford College". www.haverford.edu. October 31, 2016. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  6. 1 2 "CANDIDATE FOR DIRECTOR GENERAL INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION (IOM)" (PDF). usembassy.gov (in English and French).
  7. ↑ "DG Amy Pope_Biography_EN" (PDF). International Organization for Migration.
  8. ↑ "Amy E. Pope U.S. Candidate for International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director General". United States Department of State. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  9. ↑ "The Coordinator". United Nations Network on Migration. March 6, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  10. 1 2 "Amy Pope". International Organization for Migration. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Amy Pope". migrationpolicy.org. April 7, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  12. 1 2 "Amy Pope | Migration Policy Institute". www.migrationpolicy.org. September 30, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Amy Pope - Previously held position: Senate Democratic Majority Leader (2009-2010) Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), U.S. Department of Justice Legislative Detailee - Biography | LegiStorm". www.legistorm.com. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Barack Obama was my boss - here's what he taught me about crisis management". www.managementtoday.co.uk. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  15. 1 2 Geneva, U.S. Mission (March 11, 2021). "Amy Pope – U.S. Candidate for IOM Deputy Director General for Management and Reform - U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Geneva". U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Geneva. Archived from the original on January 7, 2026. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  16. ↑ "President Barack Obama meets with Amy Pope". The White House. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  17. ↑ Council, Atlantic (July 5, 2017). "Harnessing the Power of Immigration". Atlantic Council. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  18. ↑ Alvarez, Priscilla; Vazquez, Maegan (July 16, 2021). "Biden's migration adviser leaves White House role". CNN. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  19. 1 2 "AMY E. POPE Collaborative Problem Solver & Innovative Manager" (PDF). state.gov.
  20. 1 2 Antananarivo, U.S. Embassy (March 23, 2023). "U.S. Assistant Secretary Michele J. Sison and U.S. Candidate for IOM Director General Amy Pope Visit Madagascar". U.S. Embassy in Madagascar. Archived from the original on January 8, 2026. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  21. ↑ Geneva, U.S. Mission (October 3, 2022). "Amy Pope's Nomination for IOM Director General Statement by Secretary Antony J. Blinken". U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Geneva. Archived from the original on January 7, 2026. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Nobel Week Dialogue | Amy Pope". NobelPrize.org. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  23. ↑ Geneva, U.S. Mission (May 11, 2023). "Secretary Blinken on U.S. Support of Amy E. Pope for IOM Director General - U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Geneva". U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Geneva. Archived from the original on January 7, 2026. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  24. ↑ Geneva, U.S. Mission (May 10, 2023). "Statement from President Joe Biden on the IOM Director General Candidacy of Amy Pope - U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Geneva". U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Geneva. Archived from the original on January 7, 2026. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  25. ↑ "AMY E. POPE" (PDF). state.gov.
  26. ↑ "Statement on Amy E. Pope's Candidacy To Be Director General of the International Organization for Migration | The American Presidency Project". www.presidency.ucsb.edu. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Amy Pope Makes History as First Woman Director General of IOM". International Organization for Migration. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  28. ↑ "US candidate Amy Pope wins tense contest to run UN migration agency". Reuters. Archived from the original on May 25, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  29. ↑ Montevideo, U.S. Mission (May 16, 2023). "The Election of Amy E. Pope as Director General of the International Organization for Migration - U.S. Embassy in Uruguay". U.S. Embassy in Uruguay. Archived from the original on November 28, 2025. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  30. ↑ Keaten, Jamey (May 14, 2023). "Election at UN migration agency pits its European chief against his American deputy". AP News. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  31. ↑ Keaten, Jamey (May 15, 2023). "UN migration agency elects American as 1st woman director, replacing her European boss". AP News. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  32. ↑ Press, Associated (May 15, 2023). "UN migration agency elects Amy Pope, an American, as its 1st female director". Associated Press. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  33. ↑ "US candidate Amy Pope wins vote to become head of UN migration agency | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. May 15, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  34. ↑ "US candidate Amy Pope to head UN migration agency". InfoMigrants. May 16, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  35. ↑ Keaten • •, Jamey (May 15, 2023). "Amy Pope Elected as First Woman Director for UN Migration Agency". NBC10 Philadelphia. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  36. ↑ "Companies like Microsoft can help manage migration: incoming UN migration chief". Reuters. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  37. ↑ "Companies like Microsoft can help manage migration: incoming UN migration chief". The Business Standard. June 2, 2023. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  38. ↑ "UN set to choose new migration chief". InfoMigrants (in French). May 15, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  39. ↑ "Welcoming Amy E. Pope as Director General of the International Organization for Migration". United States Department of State. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  40. ↑ "Amy Pope elected as the first woman to head the UN's migration agency". May 15, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  41. ↑ N; P; R (May 25, 2023). "Amy Pope, new head of the IOM, wants to change the conversation about migrants". NPR. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  42. ↑ Meshioye, David (July 25, 2023). "IOM DG-elect outlines path to sustainable management of migration". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  43. 1 2 "Amy Pope". Perry World House. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  44. ↑ Fillion, Stéphanie. "One Year In, Amy Pope's Plan To Reshape The Conversation on Migration". Forbes. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  45. ↑ "We're better off thanks to migrants, says new IOM chief | UN News". news.un.org. October 2, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  46. ↑ Pecquet, Julian (May 17, 2022). "Amy Pope, new head of UN migration agency, vows to prioritise Africa". The Africa Report. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  47. ↑ "IOM Director General: Pope Francis offers eloquent voice on migration - Vatican News". www.vaticannews.va. January 26, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  48. ↑ "Secretary Blinken's Meeting with International Organization for Migration Director General Pope". United States Department of State. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  49. 1 2 "IOM Chief welcomes further protection of migrants in Greece". InfoMigrants (in French). July 30, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  50. ↑ Keaten, Jamey (July 11, 2024). "Head of UN migration agency says it reaps funds, but worries about politics loom over aid groups". AP News. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  51. ↑ Taylor, Diane (July 9, 2025). "Too late to stop small boats once people arrive in Calais, says UN migration chief". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  52. ↑ Blackburn, Gavin (June 18, 2026). "Foreign aid cuts and climate change pushing up migrant flows, IOM chief warns". Euronews. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  53. ↑ Object, object (June 18, 2026). "World's poorest regions: Foreign aid cuts push up migrant flows, IOM chief warns". RTL Today. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  54. ↑ "IOM chief Amy Pope calls for stronger cooperation on migration". InfoMigrants. September 24, 2025. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  55. ↑ "Amy Pope (IOM) at the Opening of the International Migration Review Forum 2026 | UN Web TV". webtv.un.org. May 7, 2026. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  56. ↑ "Network-Coordinator-MS-briefing-IMRF-3FEB2026-as-delivered" (PDF). migrationnetwork.un.
  57. ↑ "Netherlands and IOM Reaffirm Strong Partnership including New Multi-Year Funding Commitment". International Organization for Migration. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  58. ↑ "IOM Chief visits Guyana, highlighting migration as force for growth". International Organization for Migration. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  59. ↑ SudanTribune (July 1, 2026). "Sudan foreign minister discusses peace roadmap in Geneva". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  60. ↑ "IOM Council to Elect the Director General". International Organization for Migration. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  61. ↑ Keaten, Janey (May 15, 2023). "UN migration agency elects American as 1st woman director, replacing her European boss". The Hill.
  62. ↑ "Department Press Briefing – October 4, 2022". United States Department of State. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  63. ↑ "DRAFT REPORT ON THE SIXTH SPECIAL SESSION OF THE COUNCIL" (PDF). IOM Governing Bodies. August 16, 2023.
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