The Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Office was established by Congress to investigate complaints about constitutional rights, such as privacy invasions or excessive force used by Border Patrol agents, or facial recognition technology used at airports. The Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman Office helps immigrants who have problems obtaining work permits or applying for green cards. And the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman monitors conditions in detention facilities and handles complaints involving excessive force, sexual abuse, and inadequate medical care, among other issues.

In March, the administration directed employees to immediately cease doing their jobs, including any efforts to wind down operations or transfer any complaints or ongoing investigations to other departments. According to a DHS spokesperson at the time, the offices were closed because they “obstructed immigration enforcement by adding bureaucratic hurdles and undermining DHS’s mission.”

The closure of these offices undermines critical protections and oversight for immigrants.

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Southern Border Communities Coalition, and Urban Justice Center – represented by Democracy Forward and Public Citizen Litigation Group – filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to challenge the Trump-Vance administration’s decision to close DHS’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman Office, and Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman. The lawsuit is demanding the restoration of these key DHS oversight offices.

Timeline: 

• April 24, 2025 — Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Southern Border Communities Coalition, and Urban Justice Center – represented by Democracy Forward and Public Citizen Litigation Group – filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
• May 8, 2025 — We filed a motion for a preliminary injunction. In support of the motion, plaintiffs filed a series of declarations from immigrant advocates and lawyers describing the importance of these offices in raising and resolving allegations of civil and human rights violations experienced with DHS or those detained by immigration and other law enforcement officials.
• May 23, 2025 — The Department of Homeland Security announced that it will not abolish the Department’s Offices for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman, or the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, reversing a previous move to shutter the offices.