“Not Our Job Anymore”: DHS Stops Civil Rights Work as Trump Escalates Deportations
Senate Democrats say the closure of three legally mandated oversight offices endangers immigrants, violates federal law, and erodes trust in DHS authority.
WASHINGTON — A group of senior Senate Democrats is demanding answers from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem following the Trump administration’s abrupt closure of three key oversight offices within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—a move that has drawn sharp criticism from whistleblowers, civil rights advocates, and federal judges.
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The shuttering of the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO), and the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman has left more than 600 open civil rights cases in limbo and raised serious concerns about oversight during a period of expanded immigration enforcement.
In a July 26 letter to Secretary Noem, Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) , Patty Murray (D-WA), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) expressed alarm at disclosures from whistleblowers and revelations from federal litigation that suggest the closures violated federal law and left DHS unable to carry out congressionally mandated functions. “No act of Congress has altered the responsibilities of these DHS oversight offices, and their missions have never been more important,” the senators wrote.
Whistleblower Disclosures Detail Breakdown
According to a May report from the Government Accountability Project, CRCL staff were instructed to abandon around 550 active civil rights investigations and hundreds more pending reviews. Complaints included allegations of religious and national origin discrimination by Customs and Border Protection (CBP), failure to accommodate individuals with disabilities, and politically motivated aid denials by FEMA.
The report also noted CRCL’s halted oversight of facial recognition technologies, TSA and CBP screening practices, and protections for DHS employees facing workplace discrimination.
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Court Testimony Confirms Oversight Paralysis
During ongoing litigation brought by the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Center, Ronald Sartini—Trump’s appointee as CIS Ombudsman—testified that CRCL and OIDO had stopped performing their legal duties. In a May 22 declaration, Troup Hemenway, the newly appointed acting CRCL officer, outlined a restructuring plan that would staff the offices with only about 20 individuals each, including detailees and contractors—many without prior civil rights experience.
The plan prompted concern from Judge Ana C. Reyes, who remarked that it was not within her “purview or ability to determine” the effectiveness of the administration’s reorganization but acknowledged the unprecedented nature of the closures.
DHS Still Collecting Complaints Despite Staff on Leave
Despite halting the work of these oversight offices, DHS has continued to operate public portals for submitting complaints. Lawmakers argue this is misleading and potentially unlawful, especially given that most of the offices’ employees have reportedly been placed on administrative leave.
In an April 8 investigation by ProPublica, DHS employees described the closures as politically motivated, saying leadership “didn’t care about civil rights.” The report noted that complaints involving wrongful deportations, discrimination against asylum seekers, and CBP misconduct had gone unanswered.
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Immigration Crackdown Increases Oversight Demands
The collapse of these oversight bodies comes amid the Trump administration’s renewed mass deportation campaign, which includes expanded detention, expedited removals, and controversial attempts to revoke legal protections from groups such as Venezuelan migrants and international students.
Media reports have chronicled the fallout, including the deportation of individuals with legal protections. In one case, a man shielded by a federal settlement agreement was deported to El Salvador, according to Politico. In another, three U.S. citizen children, ages 2, 4, and 7, were deported by mistake from Louisiana, The Washington Post reported.
Legal Violations Cited by Lawmakers
Lawmakers point to potential violations of the Homeland Security Act, which prohibits the abolition of any statutorily mandated DHS unit without explicit congressional authorization and a 60-day notice. No such notice appears to have been provided. Moreover, current appropriations law (P.L. 119-4) bars DHS from using federal funds to alter oversight offices under Section 872 unless explicitly approved by Congress.
The senators requested that Secretary Noem respond by July 31 with documentation of the department’s plan, including the rationale for terminating staff, the reliance on contractors, and changes to the offices’ reporting obligations. They also demanded explanations for the removal of public access to previous CRCL reports.
The Trump administration has not publicly commented on the closures or the whistleblower allegations. The Department of Homeland Security’s press office did not respond to a request for comment.
The outcome of the litigation—and the administration’s next steps—could have far-reaching consequences for immigration enforcement, federal civil rights oversight, and public trust in DHS at a time when its authority is expanding rapidly.
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