Craig Lebamoff is a Managing Director at Straife. He advises on human trafficking, customs enforcement, border security, mass migration planning, and other related topics, including U.S. State Department funding sources available to foreign governments. Prior to leaving government, Craig served as a senior attorney in the Office of Chief Counsel, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (DHS/USCIS). In addition, he served as an immigration officer at the U.S. Embassies in Iraq and El Salvador and the U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. He also worked as an asylum officer in Chicago and Laredo/Nuevo Laredo.

Before transferring to the Department of State, Craig was a Foreign Service Officer, serving in Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Nepal, and the State Department Main Office in Washington, D.C. He served as the (acting) chief of the Consular Section in Russia. During his time at the State Department, Craig contributed to drafting and editing of the U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP) and International Religious Freedom reports on Afghanistan, Nepal, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan and engaged in follow-up diplomacy with each country subsequently. Craig was a Fulbright Fellow in immigration policy and was an advisor to the Afghan Interior Minister on border security, human rights law, and transnational crime fighting. He received the Director’s Heritage Award for assisting Iraqi refugees in “extreme and dangerous conditions,” the NATO medal, and the Southwest Asian Defense medal for his service in Afghanistan.

In private practice, Craig has advised on immigration and customs issues and human trafficking, among others. He has represented Tata/Range Rover on customs issues, the Pacific Fishing industry on forced labor, the government of Morocco on migrant detention strategies, and the UAE in regard to mass migration planning. Craig holds a bachelor’s degree from The Citadel and a Juris Doctor degree from Indiana University. He served in the U.S. Army Reserve as an Air Defense Artillery Officer.