Competencies

In 2012, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office for CivilRights and Civil Liberties provided a guide to “help you direct the following types of complaints to the appropriate DHS Office:"

  • Discrimination and other violations of civil rights and civil liberties
  • Criminal and non-criminal misconduct or serious and/or repeated violations by DHS employees or DHS contractors
  • Travel-related complaints
  • Alleged discrimination in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding, services, or benefits
  • Concerns with longstanding or complex U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) immigration filings or applications
  • Concerns regarding E-Verify and the SAVE Program
  • Concerns regarding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO)
  • General complaints involving any of the following:
    • U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
    • U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
    • Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
    • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
    • Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS Ombudsman)
    • U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)
    • U.S. Secret Service (USSS)
    • Privacy complaints or allegations of privacy violations”

Read the 2012 Guide.

For more recent information, consult DHS's Make a Civil Rights Complaint page.