DHS dismantles civil rights and detention oversight offices
Mar 21, 2025

On March 21, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security fired nearly all staff at its Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) and Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO) through reduction in force notices. By May 2025, CRCL had seen an 80 percent staff cut and OIDO a 96 percent cut, drastically reducing the agencies' ability to investigate complaints, make recommendations, and conduct facility inspections.
Sources
- “They Don’t Care About Civil Rights”: Trump’s Shuttering of DHS Oversight Arm Freezes 600 Cases, Imperils Human Rights
ProPublica·Apr 8, 2025·archived copy
- Homeland Security makes cuts to offices overseeing civil rights protections
Associated Press·Mar 22, 2025·archived copy
- CBS News
- Denouncing Into the Void: The Dismantling of Internal Oversight and Accountability at DHS
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