In Court Filing DHS Reveals Sharp Staff Cuts at Oversight, Civil Rights Offices

In a court filing last week Department of Homeland Security officials revealed plans for sharp cuts to staffing at internal oversight offices. The new plan would see smaller staff levels at the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman, the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, and the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. The CIS Ombudsman's office would shrink from 40 employees to 10; the ID ombudsman's office from 100 to 8; and the CRCL office from 140 to 22. Collectively these offices handle tens of thousands of complaint and investigatory case files at DHS.