Trump topples civil rights offices at DHS

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) eliminated its Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, firing those responsible for oversight of the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

The New York Times first reported the move, indicating that more than 100 staff members of the office were put on administrative leave for the next 60 days.

In addition to the civil rights office, the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman was eliminated, as was the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman.  The first provides an opportunity for those to bring concerns about the immigration process while the second is a route for the public to flag issues about the problems facing those held in immigration detention.

The DHS confirmed the move, accusing both entities of obstructing the department's mission.

“DHS remains committed to civil rights protections but must streamline oversight to remove roadblocks to enforcement. These reductions ensure taxpayer dollars support the Department’s core mission: border security and immigration enforcement,” the department said in a statement.

“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.”

A DHS spokesperson said all employees were being terminated through a reduction in force.

Eliminating the offices silences those who provide a critical review of DHS policies or serve as an outlet for those to flag civil liberties concerns with U.S. policies.

The Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties described itself as supporting "the Department's mission to secure the nation while preserving individual liberty, fairness, and equality under the law.”

The move comes as the Trump administration has been under fire over human rights concerns with a number of its policies, most recently the activation of the Alien Enemies Act.

In a Saturday order, President Trump invoked the rarely used wartime powers, allowing the removal of any citizen of an enemy nation without a hearing.

In his proclamation, Trump allowed for the deportation of any Venezuelan older than 14 years who the government asserts is a member of the Tren de Aragua gang. The law has been used just a handful of times in the past, most recently as the legal basis for the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

After the order, the Trump administration flew more than 230 Venezuelans to El Salvador, paying the government there to imprison them.

Updated at 5:43 p.m. EDT