New York AttorneyGeneral Letitia James led a coalition of 20 other attorneys general inurging the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to maintain threeoffices within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that are meant tooversee the agency, protect people’s civil rights, and help noncitizens withimmigration matters. In March, DHS announced plans to shut down three officeswithin the agency, the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), theCitizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS Ombudsman), and the Officeof Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO), that were created by Congress toexercise oversight of various DHS programs. The offices’ sudden closure affectspending complaints and investigations and did not provide individuals oremployers any alternative avenue for redress. Attorney General James and thecoalition argue in an amicus brief that DHS‘s unilateral closure ofcongressionally mandated offices exceeds its statutory and constitutionalauthority and will harm the states’ residents and employers who interact withDHS. “The Department of Homeland Security cannot singlehandedly shut downcongressionally mandated offices that were created to ensure the agency abidesby the law. Shutting down DHS’s civil rights office and other offices thatprovide immigration services is dangerous and unprecedented. I stand with myfellow attorneys general in urging the court to keep these offices open so thatpeople can continue to get the services they need, and DHS can be heldaccountable if and when it violates the law.” – AG James