Trump Administration Shuts Down Immigration Watchdog Offices

According to reports, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman’s office has closed and its employees have been terminated, along with the offices of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman and Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.

Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson, said that the 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.” But Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, said the mass firings were an attempt to ensure “that there will be no transparency or oversight of [President Trump’s] extreme agenda.”

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