When the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), led by the Attorney General, was established by Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on June 22, 1870, its role was to handle the country’s legal business.
Since then, the responsibilities of the DOJ have increased and its mandate refined, often changing to align with the agenda of whichever president holds the reins of power since its actions are ultimately under the purview of the president.
In other words, while the DOJ is independent to some extent in its decision-making, particularly in individual cases, the president can direct the department’s work through policy directives and executive orders.
However, according to the DOJ website, its mission has long remained the same: to uphold the rule of law, to keep our country safe, and to protect civil rights.
But if protecting the civil rights of Americans and keeping citizens safe still represent critical elements of the DOJ’s mission and have not been abandoned, why has the Trump administration reversed course in the support of programs which protect Americans from hate crimes?
When the DOJ rescinded approximately $35 million in grants on April 22, hundreds of grants intended for hate crime prevention and response initiatives were immediately terminated. Some organizations reported losing access to funds already allocated, forcing them to abruptly halt services.
This decision is expected to have a significant and negative impact on efforts to reduce hate crimes across the U.S., which stands against recent data confirming a significant rise in reported hate crimes in the nation.
Data from the DOJ indicates that reported hate crimes have more than doubled in the last decade, with a 114 percent increase since 2014. In addition, there’s been a disproportionate increase in anti-transgender (123 percent) and anti-Jewish (91 percent) hate crimes, both as reported in 2023 and the highest increases that have ever been reported for either group.
And despite murmurings that racism and prejudice have been eliminated within American society, the FBI’s 2023 hate crime statistics prove that racial bias remains the most prevalent motivation for hate crimes.
Racism is alive and well in America.
And that’s not all. Both the DOJ and the FBI agree that the number of hate crimes reported to law enforcement may be lower than the actual number of incidents, with an estimated 56 percent of hate crimes going unreported. While some cities saw declines in hate crimes in late 2024, experts believe a shift in how hate is expressed, rather than a decrease in hate itself, may account for the reported decline.
There are those who are adamant in their belief that recent changes in U.S. domestic policy will result in making America great again. Unfortunately, not all Americans are included in this new portrait.
(Reprinted from the Washington Informer)
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