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For decades, immigration law was confined to administrative proceedings affecting foreign nationals. Times have changed. Today, immigration issues are impacting the lives of U.S. citizens in family court, criminal court, and civil protective order proceedings nationwide.

In response to this growing trend, Cody M. Brown founded Codias Law, the nation’s premier immigration law firm exclusively representing U.S. citizens who are victims of immigration fraud. His practice covers marriage-based immigration fraud—including one-sided marriage fraud, VAWA self-petition fraud, I-751 waiver fraud—and U and T visa fraud. Codias Law does not represent foreign nationals.

Brown is one of the nation’s foremost legal experts on immigration fraud and the risks it poses to individual citizens, public safety, and national security. He is a vocal critic of the weaponization of immigration laws against U.S. citizens and the systemic failures of federal, state, and local governments to protect innocent Americans from false allegations by foreign nationals seeking immigration benefits.

He testified before Congress on June 25, 2025, at a hearing titled “Restoring Integrity and Security to the Visa Process,” held by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement. He presented quantitative and qualitative data on the national immigration fraud crisis and proposed immediate reforms that could be implemented under existing law.

Brown’s clients include women and men from all walks of life—everyday Americans, high-net-worth individuals, media personalities, members of the intelligence community, and contractors with access to highly sensitive government facilities. These victims are often targeted not only for immigration benefits but also for financial exploitation and other nefarious purposes. Brown frequently consults with local counsel to annul marriages based on fraud in state court and initiates parallel federal actions to protect his clients’ interests.

Before founding Codias Law, Brown served on the majority staff of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s Special Investigation into Hurricane Katrina and as Legislative Counsel for a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, where he managed a national security portfolio. He also served as Senior Counsel to the Project on National Security Reform, a congressionally funded public-private partnership, and consulted with senior leaders at the National Counterterrorism Center and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to assess and strengthen the U.S. government’s strategic operational planning for global counterterrorism.

In the private sector, Brown has founded multiple business ventures and led several federal political campaigns, including serving as Iowa campaign manager for Rick Santorum, the winner of the 2012 Iowa presidential caucuses in one of the biggest upsets in modern presidential campaign history.

He is the author of The National Security Council: A Legal History of the President’s Most Powerful Advisers, featured on C-SPAN2’s BookTV. He earned an LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center, a J.D. from Hamline University School of Law, and a B.S. from Northwestern College. He is admitted to the Minnesota State Bar, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.