The Justice Department has ordered its civil rights division to halt new cases, further signaling the new administration’s hostility to racial and gender equality since Donald Trump’s return to power.
The decision came amid a flurry of fervent activity in various sectors that sent simultaneous signals of a determination to deliver on radical campaign promises as well as an early purge and retaliation against political opponents.
The call for a freeze on civil rights lawsuits — in a directive to Kathleen Wolf, the new acting head of the Justice Department’s civil rights division — follows an earlier order to staff federal diversity, equity, inclusion and access programs. Was immediately sent on leave. Prelude to discontinuing such programs.
Activists called the move “unprecedented” and warned it signaled the government’s intention to abandon civil rights and protections against discrimination that have been enshrined in legislation since the 1950s and 1960s.
“This should outrage and deeply concern Americans,” said Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. The Washington Post. “This is more than a changing course in philosophy—it’s exactly what most people feared: a Justice Department built to protect civil rights that protects Americans from all forms of discrimination. Literally abdicates duty and responsibility.”
The changed approach to civil rights and equality comes amid a relentless barrage of policy initiatives and mass shootings stemming from a flurry of executive orders issued by Trump in his early days in the White House that have It left Washington’s political establishment in a state of shock. .
About 160 career White House national security staffers were called into a meeting on Wednesday and ordered to go home. Trump’s staff prepared to grill him on his loyalty to the new administration, it was. Reported.
Paving the way for the sweeping purge, Trump signed an executive order called Schedule F that enables the firing of government employees who already had long-term job protections that were granted to them by the incoming administration. Avoid removal.
“We’re getting rid of all the cancer, the cancer caused by the Biden administration,” Trump said as he signed the order.
An early victim was Adam Linda Fagan, the first female commander of the US Coast Service, who was fired by her acting head of the Department of Homeland Security, Benjamin Huffman, citing an “over-focus” on diversity. gave
The unwavering pace has also been applied to Trump’s signature issue of immigration, where he has pledged to forcibly deport an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants.
Amid reports of widespread fear in immigrant communities, The Wall Street Journal reported that the administration is amassing an expanded army of deportation officers by beefing up deportation agencies with other non-immigration remits.
According to a directive issued by Huffman, deportation powers would be given to the agencies of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the US Marshals Service.
The move follows the Pentagon’s announcement Wednesday that it is sending 1,500 active-duty troops to the South American border with Mexico.
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Meanwhile, Trump has sent unambiguous signals that he intends to follow through on his campaign threats of retaliation.
On his opening day, he Security passes were revoked. Among the 51 former intelligence officials who signed a 2020 letter saying the Hunter Biden laptop saga had “classic features” of a Russian disinformation campaign.
The next day, he revoked Secret Service protection for former national security adviser John Bolton during his first presidency, who has been the subject of Iranian-backed assassination threats.
On Wednesday, after Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 rioters convicted in connection with the Jan. 6 coup, House Speaker Mike Johnson — who is increasingly under the influence of the new president — introduced a new sub. Announced committee to investigate “false narrative”. The original January 6 is speculated by the Investigative Committee. Top members of the committee were pardoned on Monday by Joe Biden in his last act as president.
In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Wednesday, Trump sadly noted that Biden has not pardoned himself. “And if you look at it, it was all to do with him,” he said.
“I went through four years of hell with the mess we had to deal with,” Trump said. Answered Asked if he would order his attorney general to investigate his enemies. “It’s really hard to say that they shouldn’t go through it too.”
