Human Rights Watch has accused the Trump administration of significantly weakening federal enforcement of civil rights laws, saying major government agencies have reduced staffing, abandoned cases and scaled back oversight.
In a report released Thursday, the rights organisation said sweeping changes to policies and staffing since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025 have undermined federal efforts to combat discrimination.
Justice Department Sees Major Staff Cuts
Human Rights Watch said the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division lost about three-quarters of its lawyers by early 2026.
The division also abandoned reform agreements involving police departments in cities including Louisville and Minneapolis. In nearly 70 cases across the country, the agency allegedly stopped work, dismissed cases or withdrew support for plaintiffs who claimed they had experienced discrimination.
The report said the changes could leave communities without access to federal protections that are not always available under state laws.
Education and Housing Agencies Also Affected
The Department of Education, which investigates discrimination complaints in schools, reportedly laid off nearly half of its staff in a single day and closed seven of its 12 regional offices.
The department had received a record number of complaints involving allegations of discrimination against Black and Latino students in the year before Trump took office. Human Rights Watch said none of those cases had been resolved since the administration began.
The report also found major staffing reductions in the Department of Housing and Urban Development division responsible for investigating housing discrimination. At least 115 fair housing complaints were reportedly dropped without findings.
Meanwhile, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which handles workplace discrimination complaints, has fallen to its lowest staffing level in four decades, according to the report.
Rights Group Warns of Wider Impact
Trey Walk, a US programme researcher at Human Rights Watch, accused the administration of dismantling systems designed to address discrimination without providing alternatives.
Human Rights Watch said the federal government has a unique role in enforcing anti-discrimination laws, particularly in areas where federal agencies have exclusive authority to pursue legal action.
The report comes amid wider legal battles over civil rights and voting protections in the United States.
Human Rights Watch has also joined other rights organisations in challenging the Trump administration’s sanctions against the International Criminal Court, arguing that the measures could affect the constitutional rights of US citizens and organisations that work with the tribunal.
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