Civil rights groups sue to restore jobs at Homeland Security oversight
offices that were gutted
[April 25, 2025]
By REBECCA SANTANA
WASHINGTON (AP) — Three advocacy groups are suing the Department of
Homeland Security and Secretary Kristi Noem, seeking to restore staff
jobs at three gutted offices that oversee civil rights protections
across the department's broad mission.
The lawsuit was filed Thursday by the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
organization, the Southern Border Communities Coalition, and the Urban
Justice Center.
On March 21, Homeland Security said it was implementing a reduction in
force at the three offices: the Office for Civil Rights and Civil
Liberties, the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, and the
Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman.
When asked about the lawsuit Thursday, department officials said they're
“committed to civil rights protections” but called the three offices a
roadblock.
“These offices have obstructed immigration enforcement by adding
bureaucratic hurdles and undermining DHS’s mission,” the department
said.
Democrats have suggested that the cuts were about removing transparency
at the department, which is key to the Trump administration's mass
deportation efforts.
The groups suing on Thursday said that because Congress set up the
offices, only Congress can shutter them.
They're asking the court to force Homeland Security to immediately
rehire the staff and let them do their oversight jobs without
interference.
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The three offices are key to immigration oversight, but the jobs go
beyond that. Homeland Security is the country's third-largest
Cabinet agency, with responsibilities for airport security,
protecting the president and other top leaders, and responding to
disasters.
The Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties was created by the
Homeland Security Act of 2002, with the mission of protecting civil
liberties in the department created in the wake of the Sept. 11
attacks. It investigates hundreds of complaints a year about the
agency’s mission and recommends changes as necessary.
The Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman is an independent
office within Homeland Security — not connected to either
Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border
Protection. Its job is to make sure immigration detention facilities
are safe and humane. Staff regularly visited detention facilities to
do things such as making sure detainees have proper medical care.
According to the lawsuit, staff visited over 100 detention
facilities each month.
The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman is
responsible for helping people or businesses resolve issues with the
agency that oversees immigration benefits. According to the lawsuit,
it handled nearly 24,000 requests for assistance during fiscal year
2023 through its online portal. Those requests can range from
helping a business figure out why an H-1B visa renewal is taking so
long to helping someone who applies for a green card or work permit
figure out why it was rejected.
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