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  4. Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

Safeguarding civil rights and civil liberties is elemental to all the work we do at DHS.

  • T Visa Law Enforcement Resources

    The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has developed resources for Federal, state, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement officers concerning law enforcement certifications for the T nonimmigrant status, also known as the T visas.

  • Reasonable Accommodations for Employees and Applicants With Disabilities

    DHS Directive 259-01, and its accompanying Instruction 259-01-001, establishes the Department's policy for providing reasonable accommodations for employees and applicants with disabilities. DHS Instruction Manual 259-01-001-01 establishes procedures for processing requests for reasonable accommodations for DHS Headquarters (HQ) employees and applicants with disabilities.

  • Department of Homeland Security Commitment to Nondiscriminatory Law Enforcement and Screening Activities

    The Department of Homeland Security's policy is to prohibit the consideration of race or ethnicity in our investigation, screening, and enforcement activities in all but the most exceptional instances.

  • Department of Homeland Security Federal Information Sharing Environment Privacy and Civil Liberties Policy

    Department of Homeland Security Federal Information Sharing Environment Privacy and Civil Liberties Policy

  • Guidance for Accommodating Religious Beliefs in DHS Policies Requiring Fingerprinting or Photographic Identification

    There are many circumstances in which the Department, in the execution of its missions, requires individuals to pose for or provide a photograph or provide fingerprints. This guidance outlines accommodating religious beliefs in DHS policies when fingerprinting or photographic evidence in required.

    These documents outline guidance for accommodating religious beliefs in DHS policies requiring fingerprinting or photographic identification. The work underlying the memo was done by the Religious Accommodation Working Group I.

  • CRCL Newsletter

    The Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) monthly newsletter is designed to inform members of the public about the Office’s activities; including how to make complaints, ongoing and upcoming projects, opportunities to offer comments and feedback, etc. 

  • CRCL Newsletter Issues

    Archived issues of the CRCL monthly newsletter.

  • CRCL FOIA Log FY 2014

    This log contains CRCL's incoming Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for fiscal year 2014. FOIA logs typically contain information about each FOIA request received by an agency. 

  • CRCL Language Access Documents

    Documents regarding the draft Language Access Plans for DHS Components and Offices. These draft plans describe the efforts of individual Components to provide meaningful access to DHS programs and activities to persons who are Limited English Proficient (LEP) consistent with the requirements of Executive Order 13166, Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency (August 11, 2000) and the DHS Language Access Plan first issued in February 2012.

  • DHS No FEAR Act Quarterly Reports

    DHS equal employment opportunity quarterly data posted pursuant to the No Fear Act.