Trump's Trials - Trump's crackdown on DEIA programs within the federal government is underway

Episode Date: January 23, 2025

Federal agencies had a Wednesday deadline to place employees of DEIA offices on paid leave — and to take down any of mention of DEIA programs and initiatives from agency websites and social media.Then, The Trump administration says it will no longer consider churches and schools off limits to agents tracking down and arresting migrants without legal status.Support NPR and hear every episode sponsor-free with NPR+. Sign up at plus.npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

I'm Scott Detro and you're listening to Trump's terms from NPR. We're going to be doing all sorts of things nobody ever thought was even possible. It's going to be a very aggressive first hundred days of the new Congress. Unpredictable, transformative next four years. The United States is going to take off like a rocket ship. Each episode we bring you the latest news about the 47th president and the policy changes he is pursuing on his own terms. We know from experience that means challenging precedent, busting norms, and pushing against

set ideas about what the federal government can and can't do. It all raises questions about how much Washington and the country will change over the course of this term. NPR is covering it all in stories like the one you are about to hear, right after this. You're listening to Trump's terms from NPR is covering it all in stories like the one you are about to hear, right after this. You're listening to Trump's Terms from NPR. Every January, millions of people take the pledge to cut down on alcohol in the new year. If you're one of them, count on LifeKit, NPR's self-help podcast, for tips and tricks you can use to make the most out of your commitment.

We'll help you draw up plans and have experts weigh in on how to stay motivated and kind to yourself throughout the month. Search LifeKits Dry January, wherever you get your podcasts for the tools you need to pull it off from NPR. Wait, wait, don't tell me. Fresh Air, Up First, NPR News Now, Planet Money, Ted Radio Hour, Thru Line, the NPR Politics Podcast, Code Switch,

Embedded, Books We Love, Wildcard are just some of the podcasts you can enjoy sponsor free with NPR+. Get all sorts of perks across more than 20 podcasts with the bundle option. Learn more at plus.npr.org. D'Imoana Summers, federal agencies had a 5 p.m. Eastern deadline today to place government workers in diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility offices on paid leave. It's part of President Trump's crackdown on DEIA initiatives within the government and beyond. NPR's Andrea Hsu reports. For the past four years, the federal government has embraced the idea that a more diverse, inclusive workforce will better serve the

American people. President Trump made clear in his inaugural address he disagrees. Reversing course is one of his top priorities. I will also end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life. Already Trump has signed several sweeping executive actions, calling DEIA programs illegal, immoral, and discriminatory. He's even encouraged the private sector to end theirs.

We will forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based. Yesterday, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management got to work carrying out his vision. A memo went out to agency leaders telling them to place all employees of DEIA offices on paid leave effective today. By noon tomorrow, agencies must submit a list of everyone who was working in those offices as of election day. The memo suggests there may have been efforts to disguise some of the work after

Trump's win. Then by January 31, agencies must have a written plan for laying people off. Rob Schreiver was acting head of OPM under former President Biden. He's not sure exactly who will be affected, but... Given the broad brush that they have painted, it's potentially very large numbers of people. Now, DEIA programs exist all throughout the federal government because of executive actions taken by Biden. His administration called on federal agencies to recruit more from underserved communities, to run training programs advancing principles of equity and inclusion. Alacia Black Hackett served as chief diversity and equity officer

at the Department of Labor. She says the work wasn't just about race. A lot of what we did in DEIA, specifically at the Labor Department, was to ensure that we were creating pathways to good paying jobs. Sometimes the work involved figuring out which communities needed more training opportunities or apprenticeships. Other times it was just getting more information out, simplifying government documents to be sure farmworkers in the South, for example, fully understood their rights. It's not just something that we morally do, but it actually helps with the economic prosperity of our country.

Hackett has worked on DEIA initiatives her whole career, dating back to when it was called multicultural affairs. In her view, the federal government of all places needs to reflect the country we are today. When you think about who was in the room during the creation of the Constitution of the United States of America, there was one vantage point, one lens, which was white male men. Now Hackett was a political appointee, so she's already left her job. But she's worried about former colleagues who are still at the Labor Department.

These are working people, hardworking people, whose job was to execute an executive order of the president. The last president. The new one is taking the federal government in a vastly different direction. Andrea Hsu, NPR News, Washington. You're listening to Trump's Terms from NPR. I'm Scott Detro. And what you just heard was not the only big news we have to share today about the incoming Trump administration. Here's another story from NPR's latest coverage.

The Trump administration says churches and schools in the US are no longer off limits to federal agents rounding up migrants without legal status. Homeland Security officials say the Biden-era policy made it easier for migrants with criminal records to hide from law enforcement. But critics say the change will make it harder for many migrant families to worship and send their kids to school. NPR's Brian Mann reports. When Hugo Sotomartinez heard that Trump administration had canceled a federal

guideline, sheltering churches and schools from immigration raids, he thought of his own family. My parents would be labeled as criminals when I was growing up, when they were dropping me off to school or taking me to church. Sotomartinez is a council member in Los Angeles whose parents didn't have legal status in the U.S. He co-sponsored a measure last year that prevents city agencies, including the L.A. School District, from aiding federal immigration agents.

He says this move by the Trump administration is already causing fear. He's getting what he wants and that's making people feel very afraid, especially in the areas where they know they are usually with their family and I think it's completely despicable. In a statement explaining the change, the Department of Homeland Security said the Biden administration's decision to classify certain areas as sensitive and off-limits to DHS enforcement allowed migrants, quote, including murderers and rapists, to avoid arrest. Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America's schools and churches,

the statement reads. Bishop Matthew Hyde, head of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, says he knows of no cases where his churches have been exploited by criminals. No, I'd invite them to give an example of that anywhere in the United States, and certainly in New York. Bishop Hyde described churches as safe spaces where new migrants go for crucial services, including food and shelter. This ministry is sanctuary, it's central to who we are.

Our congregations and our service programs welcome everybody. This is what our faith calls us to do. While these changes sparked fear and dropped criticism, President Trump's moves pressuring migrants who entered the U.S. illegally clearly have support. While these changes spark fear and draw criticism, President Trump's moves pressuring migrants who entered the U.S. illegally clearly have support. Jason Mullen is a Trump voter who lives in Staten Island, New York. I agree 100% with that. Because it's just coming over here, giving violence, robbing, all this stuff, gangs and

all that. Come on, we don't need that in New York. In fact, research shows migrants who don't have legal status are far less likely to commit crimes in the U.S. than American citizens. Ira Melman, a supporter of Trump's tighter immigration policies, says he doesn't expect this change to make schools and churches major targets. Melman is with the Federation for American Immigration Reform. There's every reason to believe this is going to be used with great discretion and only in circumstances where the person that they're after poses a serious threat

to the communities. But Hildenland Colon Hernandez, who heads a group in New York City called New Immigrant Community Empowerment, says this change will drive some migrant families deeper underground. Removing the protections for churches or schools, those two locations in particular represent something more to families and people because it's the place of gathering, it's a place of worship, but at the same time not surprise.

During a press conference this week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he spoke with church and immigrant community leaders about the Trump administration's tougher policies, urging them not to panic. He said migrant families should keep using essential services regardless of their legal status. We want to bring down the anxiety. We want our immigrants to know that this is a city of immigrants, this is a country of immigrants. It's imperative that you go to school,

use the hospital service, use the police services. Some school districts and churches around the US responded to this change in DHS enforcement guidelines by saying they'll refuse to cooperate with migrant arrests, posting notices that immigration police aren't welcome on church or school grounds. Brian Mann, NPR News, New York. on church or school grounds. Brian Mann, NPR News, New York. Before we wrap up, a reminder, you can find more coverage of the incoming Trump administration

on the NPR Politics Podcast, where you can hear NPR's political reporters break down the day's biggest political news with new episodes every weekday afternoon. And thanks, as always, to our NPR Plus supporters who hear every episode of the show without sponsor messages. You can learn more at plus.npr.org. I'm Scott Detrow. Thanks for listening to Trump's terms from NPR. Americans are living longer than ever before. On the Sunday story from Up First, we look at a growing number of people using these

extra years to find new meaning. You get to the point where you start asking, what did you do in your life that was significant? A look at the transformative power of human passion and finding your purpose in the third act of life. Listen now on the Up First podcast from NPR. On NPR's Wild Card podcast, comedian Michelle Butoh says she's glad she ignored the people who told her to lose weight.

I'm just gonna show you what it looks like to love my body, my double chin, my extra rolls, okay? My buckets of thighs! Sauce on the side, you can't afford it. I'm Rachel Martin. Michelle Butoh is on the Wild Card Podcast, the show where cards control the conversation.