Noem may be leaving DHS, but the agency’s accountability crisis remains.
In this week’s newsletter, we break down Noem’s tenure of secrecy and brutality at DHS — and what needs to happen next
Read and subscribe:
americanoversight.org/newsletter/
Kristi Noem secretly reinstated policies that require members of Congress to jump through hoops to visit ICE detention facilities.
For the third time, the court has blocked Noem’s policy and reinstated unannounced congressional oversight visits.
americanoversight.org/court-orders...
Every week, we compile the biggest stories in government transparency – from exposing ICE’s secrecy to explaining who Trump’s economic policies are really serving – and share how we’re fighting for accountability in our newsletter.
Read and subscribe:
americanoversight.org/newsletter/
Image of a Freedom of Information Act request.
Unfortunately, we were right. Federal officials cut childhood vaccine recommendations for RSV, Hepatitis A and B, meningitis, and more.
We requested all reports, data, and presentations used to justify these cuts.
In December, we sent HHS a letter warning that RFK Jr.’s initial overhaul violated the law, which requires that the panel be fairly balanced in terms of points of view.
Our letter warned that the panel could issue recommendations harmful to public health. americanoversight.org/as-vaccine-p...
First, RFK Jr. replaced members of HHS’s vaccine advisory panel with vaccine skeptics.
Then, he expanded the panel in January to add two more vaccine critics.
Last week, he added two more people to the panel — and at least one has criticized vaccines.
www.statnews.com/2026/02/27/t...
As federal agents swarm our communities and terrorize immigrants, we need to know how they’re being told to treat people.
To find out, we sued CBP this week for records related to its use of force and training of agents.
americanoversight.org/american-ove...
Last week, Kash Patel fired FBI agents involved in investigating Trump’s handling of classified documents.
It turns out those agents also investigate threats from Iran.
Trump and Patel’s personal vendettas shouldn’t jeopardize our national security.
americanoversight.org/american-ove...
Congress subpoenaed AG Pam Bondi to investigate her handling of the Epstein files.
We're suing for instructions and training materials provided to DOJ staff who reviewed the files.
The docs could tell us if Bondi told staff to flag mentions of Trump.
americanoversight.org/american-ove...
There is too much news to follow. We’re here to help.
Our weekly newsletter has the biggest stories in government accountability and why they matter.
In today’s edition: DHS’s path forward after Noem, and Trump’s mishandling of classified docs.
Subscribe here:
americanoversight.org/newsletter/
The Trump administration keeps blocking Congress from seeing the appalling conditions in ICE detention.
But we keep fighting back — and winning. For the third time, a judge ordered DHS to allow Congress to conduct oversight of ICE facilities.
americanoversight.org/court-orders...
“The American people deserve answers about what is happening inside these agencies and how these policies are being carried out in their name. Leadership changes will not restore trust unless the administration abandons the reckless approach.”
06.03.2026 14:45 — 👍 7 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0“The issue is not only who occupies the secretary’s office, but whether DHS will continue operating under directives that prioritize cruelty, secrecy, and political spectacle over the rule of law, our constitution, and basic human dignity.”
06.03.2026 14:45 — 👍 11 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
“Secretary Noem’s departure does not change the underlying crisis at DHS…Swapping out one political appointee for another will not undo the damage being inflicted on families and communities across the country,” said our Executive Director Chioma Chukwu.
americanoversight.org/kristi-noem-...
Our last FOIA lawsuit against ICE revealed that agents had killed another American and that the agency knew use-of-force incidents had nearly tripled.
Now, we’re suing CBP to find out more about its use of force and how it trains agents.
americanoversight.org/american-ove...
This is what FOIA is made for. If the government isn’t forthcoming with essential information, it lets us demand it.
And we will.
Our follow up FOIAs ask for all of the documentation on Ruben Ray Martinez’s death, including any footage from that night.
We also asked for any communications between the people charged with investigating.
DHS didn’t publicly admit that one of its agents shot and killed Ruben Ray Martinez until our lawsuit unearthed an internal report of the shooting. Now, lawmakers are demanding accountability.
And we have a lot more questions.
www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
Swapping out Noem is not enough to fix DHS.
It will not undo the damage being inflicted on families and communities across the country.
Americans still deserve answers about the policies being carried out in their name.
americanoversight.org/kristi-noem-...
Image of a Freedom of Information Act request.
ICE’s 287(g) program can make local police a part of federal immigration enforcement.
That’s how some Minnesota officers ended up working with ICE during the crackdown in Minneapolis.
We FOIAed 8 sheriff’s offices to see how they talk behind closed doors.
Image of a Freedom of Information Act request.
With no credible evidence, Trump has claimed there is a link between taking Tylenol during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder. HHS is reportedly working on a report about it.
We filed FOIA requests to find out what science the administration is relying on — if there is any.
Image of a Freedom of Information Act request.
Image of a Freedom of Information Act request.
American farmers have been approaching a financial crisis for years, and tariffs may have pushed them over the edge.
The Trump administration keeps promising to help, but farmers aren’t getting relief.
We FOIAed the USDA to see how they’re discussing the crisis.
Image of a Freedom of Information Act request.
We also need to know if military lawyers are even prepared to serve as immigration judges.
We asked for the trainings given to these military lawyers and legal analyses regarding this arrangement.
Image of a Freedom of Information Act request.
We also asked for directives and communications — including White House communications — regarding these firings and related court backlogs.
04.03.2026 19:30 — 👍 5 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Image of a Freedom of Information Act request.
Image of a Freedom of Information Act request.
Many of the fired judges used to be attorneys for people seeking asylum or relief from deportation. That raises questions about how the administration is cherry picking judges.
We asked DHS, ICE, and DOJ’s Office for Immigration Review for records about this.
The backlog of immigration cases is now in the millions.
Yet the Trump administration is firing experienced immigration judges and replacing them with military lawyers.
Here’s how we’re investigating:
When agencies “escalate force while withholding basic information about their authority and training from the public, it erodes trust and puts lives at risk…The public should not have to rely on watchdogs and whistleblowers to learn the truth,” said our Chioma Chukwu.
04.03.2026 16:14 — 👍 6 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
The lawsuit comes amid mounting concerns about immigration crackdowns — including concerns raised by our recent release of ICE records showing the agency knew use-of-force incidents nearly tripled and that an agent killed another American.
americanoversight.org/what-we-know...
BREAKING: We’re suing CBP for records related to its use of force and training of agents.
Kristi Noem owes Americans answers about how agents are being told to treat people.
We’re holding her feet to the fire.
americanoversight.org/american-ove...
Just days before the firings, a Trump-appointed judge blocked the release of the report on Trump’s document handling.
The firings raise serious questions about what Patel — and Trump — are trying to hide.
We’re still fighting to get the report released.
americanoversight.org/american-ove...
