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Homeland Security makes cuts to civil rights and immigration oversight offices
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem speaks to staff at DHS headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 28.
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Manuel Balce Ceneta
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Pool/AFP via Getty Images
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The Department of Homeland Security is cutting jobs in the oversight divisions focused on civil rights as a part of a broader reduction in force effort across the federal government.
The affected offices, confirmed by DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, are the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman and the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman.
"These offices have obstructed immigration enforcement by adding bureaucratic hurdles and undermining [the department's] mission," McLaughlin said in a statement. "Rather than supporting law enforcement efforts, they often function as internal adversaries that slow down operations."
The two ombudsman offices provide oversight of the DHS immigration portfolio. This includes detention, by working with those detained who face issues with Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), to help resolve issues with those seeking immigration-related benefits.
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"DHS remains committed to civil rights protections but must streamline oversight to remove roadblocks to enforcement," McLaughlin said. "These reductions ensure taxpayer dollars support the Department's core mission: border security and immigration enforcement."
Across the government, federal agencies have announced their plans for job cuts as directed by the White House. The latest round of firings, which were first reported by Bloomberg, come after an initial round in February focusing primarily on the other parts of the agency that do not handle immigration enforcement. At that time, 405 DHS workers were laid off across cybersecurity, disaster response and science and technology. USCIS lost under 50 employees.
Last week, ahead of the cuts, the Democratic ranking members of Senate Homeland and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Judiciary Committee, which primarily oversee immigration issues, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem warning against cuts to the Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Office, noting that its role is "statutorily-required."
"A decision to eliminate the CRCL office or make significant reductions in CRCL staff will jeopardize DHS's ability to comply with statutory requirements and to protect the civil rights and civil liberties of the American people," wrote Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill.
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