Department of Homeland Security guts civil rights team

• More than 100 staffers were told they'd be put on leave for 60 days, per the New York Times. If they don't find another job within the administration, they'll be fired in May.
• The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman will also be cut, per Bloomberg Government.

What they're saying: "These reductions ensure taxpayer dollars support the Department's core mission: border security and immigration enforcement," a senior DHS official said in a statement to Axios.

• "These offices have obstructed immigration enforcement by adding bureaucratic hurdles and undermining DHS's mission. Rather than supporting law enforcement efforts, they often function as internal adversaries that slow down operations."

State of play: Trump has rolled back civil rights efforts more broadly as part of his anti-diversity policies, and his crackdowns on immigration have prompted concern among civil rights activists.

• The administration's immigration policies, including attempting to deport legal U.S. residents and a large-scale deportation of Venezuelans to El Salvador, have already escalated in courts.

Context: The DHS civil rights staff, per its website, works with people and communities whose civil rights may be affected by the department's activities and investigates complaints about policies or personnel.

State of play: The Trump administration has laid off staff across the federal government, much of which has been led by DOGE.

• Labor unions have sued the administration in response, and judges have ordered some roles to be reinstated.

Go deeper: Tracking the foreign nationals detained by ICE as tourists or U.S. residents