U.S. Department
of Justice
Combating Post-9/11 Discriminatory Backlash
How to File a Complaint with Other Federal Offices
The following links will lead you to information about how to file a complaint with other federal offices that enforce laws that prohibit discrimination. If you think that you or someone you know has been the victim of discrimination or a hate crime, please follow these links for information on filing a complaint.
If you believe you have been discriminated against by an agency that receives funding from the Department of Justice, you can file a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights, Office of Justice Programs.
DOT may be able to help you with discrimination in airports or on airplanes.
For example: a passenger of Pakistani national origin who is traveling on a commercial airline claims that he was asked to leave the airplane by airline officials at a U.S. airport. He believes that he was singled out because he looks Middle Eastern.
This individual can be referred to the Air Consumer Protection Division within the DOT for airline issues, and to the Federal Aviation Administration of DOT for airport issues.
OCR may be able to help you with discrimination in education.
The DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties handles complaints concerning abuses of civil rights, civil liberties, and profiling on the basis of race, ethnicity, or religion, by employees and officials of the Department of Homeland Security. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commission (CBP), the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are all part of DHS, and the DHS Office of Civil Rights can assist in complaints involving all of these agencies.
The EEOC may be able to help you with complaints about discrimination in employment.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigates reports of hate crimes and deprivations of constitutional rights (such as unwarranted assaults, illegal arrests and searches) by local and federal law enforcement officers.. If you think that you or someone you know has been the victim of such a crime, you may contact the local FBI office.
Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice:
This link contains information about where to file a complaint (including civil rights complaints) about the conduct of a Department of Justice employee. This includes employees and officers of the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Attorneys' Offices, and employees who work in other Department of Justice offices.
HUD may be able to help you with complaints about discrimination in housing.
Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights (HHS):
HHS may be able to help you with complaints about discrimination in health care and other facilities that receive funding from HHS.
The Community Relations Service (CRS) can provide expert guidance and assistance to community officials and civic leaders concerned about incidents or other hate activities in the aftermath of the World Trade Center and Pentagon terrorist attacks. CRS personnel will help communities respond effectively to reported incidents, tensions, and conflicts, free of charge. Please contact CRS at USAEO.AskCRS@usdoj.gov.
Your local United States Attorneys Office may be able to help you with a complaint of discrimination.
Complaints alleging discrimination by Treasury Department employees can be filed with the Department's Office of Inspector General (OIG). Complaints alleging discrimination by any other Treasury Department employees can also be filed with the OIG.
Office of Internal Affairs
U.S. Customs Service
U.S. Department of the Treasury
P.O. Box 14475
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20044
1-877-422-2557 (24 hours/day)
202-927-1016
202-927-4607 (fax)
http://www.customs.gov/travel/cmplnt.htmOffice of the Inspector General
U.S. Department of the Treasury
740 15th St NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20220
1-800-359-3898
202-927-5799 (fax)
http://www.treas.gov/oig/ (click on "Hotline" for contact information).Complaints alleging discrimination in disaster assistance may be filed with the FEMA Office of Equal Rights.
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