The suit seeks to preserve some of the main guardrails within the agency, all created by Congress, that help uncover and prevent human rights abuses.
An assortment of advocacy groups filed a lawsuit on Thursday aimed at stopping the Department of Homeland Security from permanently shuttering its internal oversight divisions after the Trump administration fired critical staff members, grinding operations to a halt.
The lawsuit was filed in New York and brought by Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, along with two immigration rights groups. It seeks to preserve some of the main guardrails within the agency, all created by Congress, that help uncover and prevent human rights abuses by its officers.
The suit asked the court to restore the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties to the status quo before President Trump began to cut away at oversight and accountability functions throughout the federal government. It is also seeking to restore two ombudsman’s offices that inspect detention facilities and process complaints regarding visa applications.
The Trump administration has said that layoffs at the Homeland Security Department and elsewhere are part of an overarching effort to reduce bureaucratic redundancies. A spokeswoman for the department, Tricia McLaughlin, said at the time that the layoffs were made in the name of efficiency.
“These offices have obstructed immigration enforcement by adding bureaucratic hurdles and undermining D.H.S.’s mission,” she said. “Rather than supporting law enforcement efforts, they often function as internal adversaries that slow down operations.”
But in the complaint filed on Thursday, the groups argued that the Trump administration had taken a specific interest in removing limitations and safeguards within immigration enforcement.