The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) reviews and investigates allegations of civil rights and civil liberties violations involving DHS policies, activities, and personnel. CRCL's jurisdiction includes allegations of racial profiling, implicit bias, and other civil liberties violations arising from state and local law enforcement involvement in federal immigration enforcement and detention. If you believe your rights or the rights of someone else have been violated by DHS, you can file a civil rights complaint with CRCL. There are multiple ways to submit your complaint, please see the options below.
The Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) reviews and investigates civil rights and civil liberties allegations submitted by the public regarding U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policies, activities, and personnel. Under 6 U.S.C. § 345 and 42 U.S.C. § 2000ee-1, CRCL receives allegations involving a range of alleged civil rights and civil liberties abuses, such as:
- Discrimination based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability;
- Violation of rights while in immigration detention or as a subject of immigration enforcement;
- Discrimination or inappropriate questioning related to entry into the United States;
- Violation of due process rights, such as the right to timely notice of charges or access to a lawyer;
- Violation of confidentiality provisions of the Violence Against Women Act;
- Physical abuse or any other type of abuse;
- Denial of meaningful access to DHS or DHS-supported programs, activities, or services due to limited English proficiency; and
- Any other civil rights, civil liberties, or human rights violation related to a Department program or activity, including allegations of discrimination by an organization or program that receives financial assistance from DHS.
CRCL also reviews and investigates the following:
- Human rights complaints under Executive Order 13107;
- Disability accommodation complaints under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; and
- Inaccessible Information and Communication Technology (ICT) complaints covered under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1988.
Read our Privacy Act Statement, review a flowchart of our complaints process, and learn more about accessible ICT.
If you would like to make a complaint about employment discrimination, please see www.dhs.gov/filing-equal-employment-opportunity-eeo-complaint
Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Compliance Branch, Mail Stop #0190
2707 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20528-0190
Phone: 202-401-1474 | 1-866-644-8360 (toll free)
Fax: 202-401-4708
E-mail: CRCLCompliance@hq.dhs.gov