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The Trump Administration Is Trying to Quietly Abandon Civil Rights Enforcement. We Won鈥檛 Let Them Get Away With It.

March on Washington
March on Washington
Ian S. Thompson,
Senior Legislative Advocate,
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June 20, 2017

Reporters from how the Trump administration is attempting to quietly abandon key aspects of federal civil rights enforcement, including 鈥渧erbal instructions鈥 from senior leadership inside the Jeff Sessions-led Justice Department to no longer seek consent decrees, which are agreements that are overseen and enforced by a court. As the ProPublica journalists correctly noted, these types of agreements have played a major role in the enforcement of federal civil rights protections, including 鈥渄esegregating school systems, reforming police departments, ensuring access for the disabled and defending the religious.鈥

While far from surprising, this is an abdication of a core responsibility of the federal government that cannot be allowed to go unanswered.

These problems are by no means limited to the Justice Department. As The New York Times has reported, the Betsy DeVos-led Department of its investigations at the nation鈥檚 public schools and universities. In particular, the Department of Education鈥檚 Office for Civil Rights 鈥 whose 鈥渋s to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence through vigorous enforcement of civil rights in our nation鈥檚 schools鈥 鈥 is eliminating requirements that identify system-wide areas of discrimination. This is something that is critically important, for example, in looking at the discriminatory use of school discipline, such as the misuse of suspensions and expulsions, and the impact it has on students of color and students with disabilities.

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said this approach is designed to allow complaints to be addressed 鈥渕uch more efficiently and quickly.鈥 If you鈥檙e not convinced by this excuse, you aren鈥檛 alone. The former head of the Office for Civil Rights said: 鈥淚f we want to have , and I say 鈥榡ustice鈥 in quotes, then that鈥檚 the direction we should go.鈥 The government鈥檚 new approach is to prioritize speed over the need to conduct a thorough investigation.

Following these disturbing revelations, it鈥檚 no surprise that last week the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights voted unanimously to launch a two-year investigation into how the Trump administration is handling its civil rights enforcement responsibilities. The investigation will examine budget and staffing levels in federal agencies with responsibility for civil rights enforcement, their management practices, and the efficacy of the offices鈥 efforts. In addition, the commission, by a majority vote, issued a statement expressing about the continuing signals that the Trump administration does not appropriately prioritize the protection and fulfillment of the civil rights of all people.

At a time when our federal government is heading in a disturbing direction that is hostile to civil rights, the role played by organizations like the 老澳门开奖结果, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund become all the more indispensable.

After the Trump administration shamefully withdrew critical guidance on protections for trans students under prohibiting sex discrimination in education earlier this year, the 老澳门开奖结果 did not hesitate to make clear our commitment to protect the civil and constitutional rights of transgender students. Last week, the Office for Civil Rights issued new 鈥渋nstructions鈥 on the handling of discrimination complaints from trans students. The original guidance provided important clarity to schools as well as trans students and their families. The new instructions failed to provide that same clarity and were needlessly confusing.

In responding, that while the Trump administration is more interested in shirking its responsibilities, federal courts are not, and their rulings are increasingly on the side of trans students. The 老澳门开奖结果 will continue to go to court to protect the basic dignity and equality of trans students, regardless of how the Trump administration chooses to handle its responsibilities under Title IX.

The stakes are too high to allow the Trump administration to treat our nation鈥檚 civil rights laws like toothless relics from a bygone era. At the 老澳门开奖结果, we won鈥檛 let them get away with it.

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