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A spokeswoman for the department, Tricia McLaughlin, said in a
statement Friday that it was implementing a “reduction in force”
for 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.
President Donald Trump has made downsizing the federal
government a key policy goal.
Federal agencies were directed to submit by March 13 plans that
would not only lay off employees but eliminate positions
altogether and consolidate programs. The DHS developments were
first reported by The New York Times.
McLaughlin said Homeland Security is “committed to civil rights
protections” but said these offices were a roadblock to
immigration enforcement.
"These offices have obstructed immigration enforcement by adding
bureaucratic hurdles and undermining DHS’s mission. Rather than
supporting law enforcement efforts, they often function as
internal adversaries that slow down operations,” she said.
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 it is to make sure immigration detention
facilities are safe and humane.
The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman
is another independent office in the department responsible for
helping people or businesses resolve issues with the agency that
oversees immigration benefits.
Democrats slammed the moves, saying they would hurt
transparency.
“With Trump’s mass firing of the entire DHS Civil Rights and
Civil Liberties workforce, he is ensuring in advance that there
will be no transparency or oversight of his extreme agenda,"
said Rep. Bennie G. Thompson of Mississippi, the top Democrat on
the House Committee on Homeland Security.
A staffer who works in the Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
office and asked not to be identified for fear of retribution
stressed that the office's mission stretches far beyond
immigration and border security, noting that they look into
allegations concerning all parts of Homeland Security, including
the Transportation Safety Administration and the Federal
Emergency Management Agency.
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