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 for immigrants and eliminates key avenues for oversight, transparency, and redress of abuses within DHS.
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Southern Border Communities Coalition, and Urban Justice Center—represented by Democracy Forward and Public Citizen Litigation Group—filed this lawsuit to challenge the Trump-Vance administration’s decision to shut down DHS’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman Office, and the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman. The complaint alleges that the administration’s actions are unlawful and strip away essential oversight functions mandated by Congress. The plaintiffs are seeking relief that would restore these offices and ensure continued protections for individuals impacted by DHS operations.
On May 8, 2025, the plaintiffs moved for a preliminary injunction seeking emergency relief to stop the dismantling of the three DHS oversight offices, and on May 23, 2025, the plaintiffs filed a motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) seeking to stop the termination of more than 300 employees from the three offices. The court denied the TRO motion without prejudice the same day, while keeping the preliminary injunction motion under review.
On May 23, 2025, DHS 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.
On July 11, 2025, the court denied the plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction as moot.
Plaintiffs then filed a motion for reconsideration on August 1, 2025, asking the court to revisit the July 11 order, which was denied on March 27, 2026.
Timeline
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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)
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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.
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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.
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The court denied the TRO without prejudice, kept the preliminary injunction motion under advisement
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The court denied the preliminary injunction motion as moot
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Plaintiffs filed a motion for reconsideration of the July 11 order
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The court denied the motion for reconsideration
