Trump administration dismisses independent inspectors general in major government agencies
US President Donald Trump's administration has reportedly fired the independent inspectors general of more than a dozen major government agencies. The agencies affected include the departments of defence, state, transportation, veterans affairs, housing and urban development, interior, and energy, as reported by the Washington Post, citing unnamed sources familiar with the events.
The New York Times stated that the purge impacted 17 agencies but spared the Department of Justice inspector general, Michael Horowitz.
According to the Post, these firings "appeared to violate federal law, which requires Congress to receive 30 days' notice of any intent to fire the inspectors general."
The White House did not respond immediately to requests for comments on the reports.
Inspectors general are independent positions responsible for conducting audits, investigations and addressing allegations of waste, fraud and abuse. The president or the agency head can remove them, depending on who appointed them.
Most of those dismissed were appointees from Trump's first term (2017-2021), with affected individuals notified by emails from the White House personnel director that their terminations were effective immediately.
In separate news, the New York Times reported that US Department of Homeland Security officials have requested a pause in several programs that allow immigrants to settle temporarily in the US. The directive demands an immediate end to "final decisions" on certain visa applications while the Trump administration reviews whether to cancel the programs completely.
These programs provide potential entry for numerous immigrants from various countries, including war-torn Ukraine, as well as those facing political instability or extreme poverty.
On his first day in office, Trump issued multiple executive orders aimed at deterring illegal immigration and facilitating the deportation of millions of individuals without legal status.
The Trump administration is advancing its efforts to enhance immigration enforcement, which may include targeting migrants who entered through programs established during the Biden administration. Furthermore, the administration is looking to invoke a rarely-used immigration statute to empower state and local law enforcement to arrest and detain individuals unlawfully in the US.
One programme that has been terminated allowed migrants waiting in Mexico to schedule appointments for asylum requests at legal border crossings, while another permitted Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans outside the US to enter by air if they had US sponsors and underwent vetting.
)
