Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, Serena Hoy, visited Brasilia on October 21-22, for a series of meetings with senior representatives of the Brazilian government.  The visit provides continuity to ongoing discussions with Brazilian government officials regarding current migration trends and public policy recommendations to improve regional cooperation. Chargé d’affaires Douglas Koneff also met with A/S Hoy.

During her visit, Assistant Secretary Hoy met with Itamaraty’s Secretary for Consular Affairs, Cooperation and Culture, Leonardo Gorgulho, and representatives from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (DEMING).  The U.S. and Brazilian officials reaffirmed the longstanding strategic relationship between the two countries and reviewed priority issues, with a particular focus on programs and measures to improve migration management and ensure orderly, safe, and regular migration, as well as opportunities for cooperation with respect to Haitian nationals with lawful status in Brazil who have taken the dangerous irregular journey north.

A/S Hoy remarked, “Brazil has modeled generosity in receiving Venezuelan, Haitian, and others in need of humanitarian support and protection, and is an outstanding partner in helping the region deal with our shared migration challenges.  I appreciated the opportunity to reiterate the U.S. commitment to legal, safe, and orderly migration, as well as humane and respectful treatment for every individual.  The fruitful meetings with our Brazilian counterparts focused on finding solutions to many of the current issues, including cracking down on transnational criminal organizations, on smugglers, and on traffickers who are exploiting vulnerable migrants.” 

Meetings focused on the broad bilateral agenda and progress in advance of high-level dialogue on security and economic matters. In addition to her trip to Brasilia, Hoy also traveled to Chile.

Biography: Serena Hoy

Serena Hoy is the Assistant Secretary for International Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security. Previously, she served in the Office of Legal Affairs at INTERPOL Headquarters in Lyon, France; as a Senior Counselor to then-Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary Jeh Johnson at the Department of Homeland Security; and with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, including as his Chief Counsel.

Before working in government, she was a staff attorney for the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center and served as the Detention Project Director for the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition.  She clerked for Judge Merrick Garland on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit after earning her law degree from Yale Law School.  She also holds a master’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies from Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona.