DOJ Memo Vows To Prosecute Officials Who Resist Immigration Crackdown
The Trump administration is escalating its efforts to confront sanctuary city policies, proposing legal actions against state and municipal officials who resist federal immigration enforcement. This is outlined in a recent document from the Department of Justice.
According to a memo from acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, federal prosecutors who decline to pursue immigration-related cases will face review by the Justice Department and potential prosecution.
The three-page directive underscores the administration's intent to refine its policies to better withstand legal scrutiny, as reported by CNN.
“Federal law prohibits state and local actors from resisting, obstructing, and otherwise failing to comply with lawful immigration-related commands and requests,” the memo states. “The U.S. Attorney’s Offices and litigating components of the Department of Justice shall investigate incidents involving any such misconduct for potential prosecution.”
The civil division of the Department of Justice is instructed to identify state and local laws that “threaten to impede” the administration’s immigration policies and to initiate legal challenges against those measures.
While awaiting the confirmation of Pamela Bondi as attorney general, Bove characterizes these changes as interim policy guidance.
In a parallel directive, the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has ordered the closure of all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices, with employees in these roles placed on paid leave.
Charles Ezell, the acting director of OPM, sent a memo to department and agency leaders on Tuesday night, mandating the following actions by Wednesday, January 22, at 5 p.m.:
– Issue a notice informing employees about the closure and requesting reports of attempts to disguise such programs using vague or coded language.
– Notify DEI office employees that they are on immediate paid administrative leave while the agency dismantles DEI initiatives, offices, and programs.
– Remove all external media related to DEI offices, including websites and social media accounts.
– Rescind pending or finalized directives, plans, and materials associated with the now-revoked Executive Order 14035, which focused on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) in the federal workforce.
– Cancel DEI-related training programs and terminate associated contracts.
By Thursday, January 23, at noon, agency leaders must provide OPM with:
– A comprehensive list of DEI offices and employees as of November 5, 2024.
– A detailed record of all DEI-related agency contracts as of November 5, 2024.
– Plans for full compliance with the outlined executive orders and instructions.
Additionally, by Friday, January 24, at 5 p.m., agency heads are required to submit:
– A written strategy for implementing reduction-in-force actions for employees previously assigned to DEI roles.
– Documentation of any contract or position descriptions revised after November 5, 2024, to obscure ties to DEI programs.
This directive follows President Donald Trump’s executive order on Monday to terminate all federal DEI programs.
The president also issued an order affirming “the official policy of the U.S. government to only recognize two genders: male and female.”
Further executive actions on Tuesday targeted DEI policies, including revoking a Biden-era initiative favoring DEI hiring at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and ending race- and sex-based preferences in higher education and the workplace under the pretext of DEI.
In the executive order signed Tuesday, Trump emphasized protecting Americans from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. These protections, he stated, “serve as a bedrock supporting equality of opportunity for all Americans,” and he reaffirmed his “solemn duty to ensure that these laws are enforced for the benefit of all Americans.”
The order also critiques institutions that “adopted and actively use dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race- and sex-based preferences under the guise of so-called ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI) or ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA).” It claims such policies undermine civil rights laws and pose threats to public safety by disregarding merit, aptitude, and individual achievement.
“Illegal and discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hiring, including on the basis of race, sex, disability, or any other criteria other than the safety of airline passengers and overall job excellence, competency, and qualification, harms all Americans,” the memo declares. It adds, “FAA employees must hold the qualifications and have the ability to perform their jobs to the highest possible standard of excellence.”
The memo concludes: “All so-called DEI initiatives, including all dangerous preferencing policies or practices, shall immediately be rescinded in favor of hiring, promoting, and otherwise treating employees on the basis of individual capability, competence, achievement, and dedication.”