Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon announced that the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division is shifting its focus following years of what she described as “weaponization” under the Biden-Harris administration.

In an interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation on Friday, Dhillon outlined the new priorities for the division and addressed the significant personnel changes underway.

Dhillon stated that the Civil Rights Division, under her leadership, will continue its core mission but expand into areas such as defending Second Amendment rights, protecting parental rights, addressing antisemitism on college campuses, ending race-based discrimination in employment, and improving election integrity.

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“We have changed the priorities, not the mission, the priorities, in each of the sections in the Civil Rights Division,” Dhillon said.

“Some personnel here have decided that they’d rather make their careers elsewhere.”

🚨 Daily Caller News Foundation Investigative Reporter @katesrichardson sits down with @HarmeetKDhillon to talk staffing in the Civil Rights Division 🚨

DHILLON: “Some personnel here have decided that they’d rather make their careers elsewhere. There will be quite a bit of… pic.twitter.com/858ZEBxNuA

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 28, 2025

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Reuters reported last week that around a dozen senior lawyers within the division were reassigned.

Dhillon said that following the reorganization, the division will be hiring new attorneys who are energized and committed to the updated mission.

During the interview, Dhillon described the environment she encountered upon taking office three weeks ago.

She criticized the division’s previous focus under Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, including lawsuits against state election laws, prosecutions of pro-life activists, and actions against police departments for minor statistical disparities in arrest rates.

Dhillon emphasized that under her leadership, the division will no longer pursue investigations without clear evidence of wrongdoing.

“It isn’t going to be on opening up investigations and harassing people endlessly and maintaining 40- and 50-year-old consent decrees. It’s going to be examining wrongdoing or alleged wrongdoing and determining quickly whether it occurred or not,” she said.

Dhillon highlighted that protecting the First Amendment will be a significant focus, particularly in light of perceived violations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She also pointed to new initiatives, including enforcing Second Amendment rights following Supreme Court decisions like Bruen, and investigating institutions for antisemitic actions on college campuses.

On election security, Dhillon noted the Civil Rights Division’s role in administering federal laws such as the Voting Rights Act, Help America Vote Act, and National Voter Registration Act.

She stressed the importance of maintaining clean voter rolls and supporting voter ID laws.

“Everyone in America who’s here legally can easily get an ID,” she said.

Regarding religious liberty, Dhillon committed to enforcing federal statutes like the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, emphasizing the importance of protecting the rights of people of faith, even within prisons.

She referenced recent meetings of the Anti-Christian Bias Task Force, highlighting widespread concerns about hostility toward religion across various sectors.

When asked about district court judges overriding executive actions, Dhillon said, “We have a runaway trend of judges substituting their judgment for the president’s. That is not what separation of powers means.”

She declined to elaborate further due to ongoing litigation.

Dhillon also addressed concerns about medical practices involving minors related to gender transition procedures.

She referenced her past legal work representing individuals who detransitioned, and indicated that the Civil Rights Division will examine potential violations under human trafficking and female genital mutilation statutes.

DCNF Investigative reporter @katesrichardson talks to @HarmeetKDhillon about combatting child genital mutilation 🚨

RICHARDSON: “Could you address, specifically, what actions you might be taking in the future [against child mutilation]?”

DHILLON: “I can tell anyone to look at… https://t.co/kMNhIKhSuz pic.twitter.com/aMZzqYEeZ5

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 28, 2025

Looking ahead, Dhillon said Americans can expect the Civil Rights Division to enforce civil rights laws in line with President Donald Trump’s agenda, while also maintaining enforcement of traditional statutes such as the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“We will not be weaponizing the federal government against law-abiding citizens, against law-abiding employers, against police departments that are trying to do the right thing,” she said.

Dhillon affirmed that while traditional enforcement will continue, the division’s approach will align more closely with constitutional principles and the priorities set by the Trump administration.

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