Mr. Vara frequently serves as co-counsel to Hackley & Robertson, P.A. He has been nationally recognized as one of the lead immigration authorities in the United States, and was previously the District/Chief Legal Counsel for the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), United States Department of Justice, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Miami Division, from 1990-2003.
As the primary government immigration attorney in the State of Florida, Mr. Vara managed and oversaw the litigation and legal advice efforts and activities of a staff of approximately 74 federal immigration attorneys. His responsibilities included both the prosecution and defense of immigration matters throughout the State of Florida. As the lead immigration attorney for the United States in Florida, Mr. Vara provided litigation support and assistance to the various offices of the United States Attorneys in the Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Florida.
Mr. Vara, in his role with INS / ICE and working extensively with such agencies as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency, was lead legal counsel and litigator on some of the highest profile immigration law cases in the United States. These cases have included human rights violations, organized crime, international narcotics trafficking, counterintelligence efforts, and counterterrorism matters. He was lead counsel or had an integral role in such cases as the prosecution of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, the Mazen Al Najjar classified evidence litigation, and the Imran Mandhai and Adham Hassoun counterterrorism cases. He also identified, developed, and litigated the novel legal theory which resulted in the 1999 precedent decision, In re: Jorge Luis Rodriguez, on the use of Foreign Agent Registration Act statutes to arrest and remove foreign espionage agents from the United States; a theory that has been used as the basis for many of the successful foreign agent criminal prosecution actions since then.
After being the head attorney for INS / ICE for 13 years in Miami, Mr. Vara was appointed as Chief Counsel for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in Orlando, Florida, and remained in that position for 3 years. In that role, he continued to provide oversight, management, and supervision to a staff of federal immigration attorneys, and continued developing significant litigation skills as lead counsel on a variety of federal law enforcement matters which included immigration, fraud, money laundering, human trafficking, violent crimes, and counterterrorism.
Mr. Vara has been legal advisor to high-level INS, ICE, and Chief Border Patrol Agent officials on immigration, asset forfeiture, personnel, and criminal matters. He is an experienced speaker, lecturer, and instructor, having lectured at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) conferences, and National Attorney Training Conferences. As a recognized and skilled litigator, he has been the primary instructor for National Level Courtroom Litigation Skills Training within INS and ICE, and has conducted national, regional, and local training, for federal, state and local law enforcement personnel on counterintelligence, counterterrorism, case investigation, and prosecution matters. In particular, and based on his close work with and success on behalf of the FBI, Mr. Vara was invited to be a recurring speaker at FBI counterintelligence agent training conferences on the use of the Immigration and Nationality Act in combating foreign espionage activities in the United States. In addition, Mr. Vara has been at the forefront of the national initiative to train and certify law enforcement officers and provide them with immigration enforcement authority.
Mr. Vara has traveled extensively throughout the United States, both lecturing and litigating on behalf of the federal government, and currently handles immigration cases throughout not only Florida, but the entire United States.