A coalition of leading civil rights and immigrant advocacy organizations have asked the judge of federal court (Columbia district court) to issue a preliminary injunction. They are seeking the immediate restoration of three vital department of homeland security (DHS) oversight offices that were abruptly closed by the Trump administration .
The lawsuit challenges the administration's decision to shutter the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), US Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman Office and the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO), which were established by Congress to provide essential oversight of immigration enforcement activities.
Also read: Lawsuit challenges closure of ‘Immigration Services Ombudsman’ and other oversight offices by Trump administration
In support of the motion, Urban Justice Center (UJC), Southern Border Communities Coalition (SBCC), and Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Human Rights 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 by those who interact with DHS or are detained by immigration and other law enforcement officials.
“The illegal shuttering of these civil rights offices takes away key protections that Congress put in place to make sure the DHS follows the Constitution, and that people in immigration detention have a way to report unsafe conditions or abuse,” said Karla Gilbride, an attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group and lead attorney on the case. “As Trump creates terror in immigrant communities across the country, immigrants and their advocates have been left without recourse to protect those whose rights are at risk. This is wildly dangerous, creating an atmosphere of impunity in a system already stretched to capacity. The court needs to act to restore the safeguards Congress created to hold the Department of Homeland Security accountable.”
“The decimation of these offices does not make anyone’s lives better or safer — what it does is target the innocent and those who have been placed in vulnerable circumstances. The closure of these offices is part of the Trump administration’s targeting of immigrants in this country and weakening of protections and resources afforded to them,” said Skye Perryman, President & CEO of Democracy Forward. “We will continue to use every legal tool we have to protect people and our democracy.”
“In the first 100 days of the Trump administration, seven people have died in the custody of DHS police and detention centers. Countless others have been disappeared to isolated immigration detention centers far from family, legal counsel, and outside witnesses to their inhumane conditions of confinement,” said Anthony Enriquez, Vice President of U.S. Advocacy and Litigation at RFK Human Rights, both a plaintiff and counsel on the case. “Restoring congressionally mandated oversight of DHS is a necessary first step to ending human rights abuses endemic to immigration detention.”
“Even before DHS shut down its oversight offices, Customs and Border Protection was one of the most unaccountable parts of the government,” said Lilian Serrano, Director of the Southern Border Communities Coalition. “Shutting down these oversight offices at a time when CBP continues to abuse migrants and border residents with impunity is unconscionable and dangerous. We refuse to accept the Trump Administration’s attempt to end accountability.”
Legal experts note that the case raises important questions about separation of powers and the executive branch's authority to dismantle congressionally established oversight mechanisms.
The lawsuit challenges the administration's decision to shutter the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), US Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman Office and the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO), which were established by Congress to provide essential oversight of immigration enforcement activities.
Also read: Lawsuit challenges closure of ‘Immigration Services Ombudsman’ and other oversight offices by Trump administration
In support of the motion, Urban Justice Center (UJC), Southern Border Communities Coalition (SBCC), and Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Human Rights 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 by those who interact with DHS or are detained by immigration and other law enforcement officials.
“The illegal shuttering of these civil rights offices takes away key protections that Congress put in place to make sure the DHS follows the Constitution, and that people in immigration detention have a way to report unsafe conditions or abuse,” said Karla Gilbride, an attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group and lead attorney on the case. “As Trump creates terror in immigrant communities across the country, immigrants and their advocates have been left without recourse to protect those whose rights are at risk. This is wildly dangerous, creating an atmosphere of impunity in a system already stretched to capacity. The court needs to act to restore the safeguards Congress created to hold the Department of Homeland Security accountable.”
“The decimation of these offices does not make anyone’s lives better or safer — what it does is target the innocent and those who have been placed in vulnerable circumstances. The closure of these offices is part of the Trump administration’s targeting of immigrants in this country and weakening of protections and resources afforded to them,” said Skye Perryman, President & CEO of Democracy Forward. “We will continue to use every legal tool we have to protect people and our democracy.”
“In the first 100 days of the Trump administration, seven people have died in the custody of DHS police and detention centers. Countless others have been disappeared to isolated immigration detention centers far from family, legal counsel, and outside witnesses to their inhumane conditions of confinement,” said Anthony Enriquez, Vice President of U.S. Advocacy and Litigation at RFK Human Rights, both a plaintiff and counsel on the case. “Restoring congressionally mandated oversight of DHS is a necessary first step to ending human rights abuses endemic to immigration detention.”
“Even before DHS shut down its oversight offices, Customs and Border Protection was one of the most unaccountable parts of the government,” said Lilian Serrano, Director of the Southern Border Communities Coalition. “Shutting down these oversight offices at a time when CBP continues to abuse migrants and border residents with impunity is unconscionable and dangerous. We refuse to accept the Trump Administration’s attempt to end accountability.”
Legal experts note that the case raises important questions about separation of powers and the executive branch's authority to dismantle congressionally established oversight mechanisms.
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