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July 11, 2025policy changeHuman RightsImmigration PolicyForeign Policyhuman rightsimmigrationexecutive power

Trump guts State Department human rights office and fires 1,353 staff

The Trump administration eliminated the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, firing 1,353 staff, while asylum adjudications that relied on the bureau's country conditions reports continued without updated data. Marco Rubio signed the reorganization order directing the cuts. Human rights organizations warned the move would cause wrongful deportations and asylum denials.