Human Rights Watch report alleges US civil rights enforcement weakened under Trump
A 112-page analysis released on Thursday claims the administration has suspended investigations into discrimination while redirecting resources toward religious liberty and opposition to diversity initiatives.
A new report from Human Rights Watch alleges that the United States federal government has significantly reduced its role in protecting civil rights during the opening months of President Donald Trump’s second term. The 112-page analysis, released on Thursday, covers the period from January 2025 to early 2026 and concludes that federal agencies responsible for combating discrimination have been substantially weakened by staff reductions and top-down policy directives.
The report examines four key agencies: the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Fair Housing Office, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. According to Human Rights Watch, these bodies have seen significant workforce cuts and a marked decrease in the number of cases pursued. The group interviewed current and former federal workers, lawyers, and community groups to compile its findings.
In the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the report states that approximately three-quarters of the 365 lawyers present at the start of 2025 had left by the end of the year. Human Rights Watch described this exodus as a coordinated effort to undermine career staff. A Justice Department spokesperson told Al Jazeera that the division remains dedicated to protecting the rights of all Americans and noted that 100 personnel had been added since the 2025 departures. The department stated its current focus includes religious liberty, Second Amendment rights, and opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Other agencies reported similar declines in capacity and activity. The Office of Fair Housing saw its staff drop from 31 to 11 by mid-2025, with 115 complaints referred to the Justice Department being quashed. At the Department of Education, the Office for Civil Rights shut down seven offices and lost half its workforce within months of the new term. Between May and September 2025, the office dismissed roughly 90 percent of the nearly 10,000 complaints it received, a rate significantly higher than previous years.
The administration has also suspended certain investigations, including those involving police departments accused of racial discrimination, such as those in Louisville and Minneapolis. Instead, new investigations have been opened against entities like Nike for alleged discrimination against white employees. Human Rights Watch found that many communities grappling with discrimination no longer have the benefit of federal agency support, with some reporting delayed responses to complaints regarding anti-LGBTQ discrimination and the cessation of monitoring in school districts.
