About the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Main Page >> Organization

Leadership

Margo Schlanger, Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Department of Homeland Security Organizational Chart (PDF, 1 page - 159 KB) shows how the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties fits organizationally within the Department.

Mission Statement

In accordance with 6 U.S.C. § 345 and 42 U.S.C. § 2000ee-1, the mission of the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties is to assist the dedicated men and women of this Department to secure the nation while preserving our freedoms and our way of life. The Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties assists our colleagues in four ways:

1. We help the Department to shape policy in ways that are mindful of civil rights and civil liberties by providing proactive advice, evaluation and review of a wide range of technical, legal and policy issues;
2. We investigate and resolve complaints filed by the public regarding Departmental policies or actions taken by Departmental personnel;
3. We provide leadership to the Department’s Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity programs, seeking to make this Department the model federal agency; and
4. We are engaged with the public regarding these issues.

Training and Education initiatives support the Department's commitment to the protection of civil rights and civil liberties through the development of distributed learning training materials.

Authorities

• 6 U.S.C. 345 defines the roles and responsibilities of the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties within the Department of Homeland Security.  
• Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Privacy Statement. There are additional specific privacy policies regarding information for the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties web pages, in addition to the general privacy policy of the Department of Homeland Security Web site.

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