The Leadership Conference: Civil Rights Remain at Risk Under New DHS Leadership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 24, 2026
Contact: Brittany G. Cummings, [email protected]

Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement:

Today, with the confirmation of MarkWayne Mullin as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, we are reminded that the fight for civil and human rights is not a chapter in our history. It is the battle of this moment. And this moment demands both clarity and action.

Let us be clear: the confirmation of Secretary Mullin is not bureaucratic reshuffling. It is a signal — a signal that this administration intends to accelerate the over-policing of our communities, the weaponization of federal agencies against people of color, against immigrants, against those whose beliefs and identities do not conform to the ideology of those in power. It is a signal reinforced by his record: a devoted ally of President Trump, a leader whose rhetoric has too often embraced aggression over accountability, and who, in the wake of Alex Pretti’s deadly encounter with federal agents, chose to dehumanize the victim rather than demand justice.

We will not be silent. And we will not be intimidated.

The Fourth Amendment does not have an asterisk. The Fourteenth Amendment does not have an expiration date. The Civil Rights Act was not written with carve-outs for political convenience. Every agent, every officer, every agency operating under the DHS banner is bound — legally and constitutionally — to uphold the rights of every person on American soil. Every person. Full stop.

To the communities being targeted — Black, Brown, immigrant, Muslim, LGBTQ+, and all those this administration has placed in its crosshairs — know this: you are not alone. Your rights are our mandate. Your dignity is not negotiable.

And to Secretary Mullin and this administration, we say plainly: the law applies to you. The Constitution binds you. Every violation will be challenged. Every abuse will be answered. And every community you target will be defended — in the courts, in the Congress, and in the streets of this democracy.

We did not come this far to go back.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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