The Justice Department expected its latest Civil Rights Division class photo to showcase more than 100 newly hired attorneys and staff now tasked with enforcing some of the nation’s most important anti-discrimination laws.
Instead, the image quickly drew scrutiny as viewers noticed what they believed was missing almost immediately.
Remarkably, few appeared to be Black — turning the image into the latest flashpoint in an already heated debate over who is shaping the federal government’s approach to civil rights.
The scrutiny followed a social media post Wednesday by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who oversees the Civil Rights Division.
Alongside a photo showing a sea of white employees with what appeared to be only two people of color and no Black men, Dhillon wrote: “Honored to swear in 100+ new attorneys and staff to our ranks today. These civil rights warriors will enforce our nation’s laws to benefit ALL Americans, not just a select few. It’s a privilege to have them on board!”
The photograph surfaced just one day after Dhillon sent letters to at least 10 states warning top election officials they could face criminal prosecution if noncitizens were allowed to cast ballots or remain on voter rolls, and adding that federal monitors are being deployed for upcoming elections.
The letters are part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to tighten election rules despite there being no evidence of widespread voting in U.S. elections by noncitizens.
Dhillon warned state officials, “Any election officer, including the chief election officer of the state, who knowingly retains noncitizens on the state’s” voter list “or facilitates noncitizens in receiving and casting ballots could be subject to criminal liability.”
The letters requested that election officials respond within five days explaining how their states intended to comply with federal law. But that focus stood in stark contrast to the Civil Rights Division’s stated mission of enforcing federal laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, disability and national origin.
Meanwhile, the image of the new Civil Rights Division staff quickly drew criticism from social media users who questioned whether a workforce with so little visible racial diversity could effectively understand the experiences of communities facing discrimination.
Many online questioned whether that mission could be carried out effectively, asking how advocates could represent people whose lived experiences were unfamiliar to them.
One person wrote, “Yeah, this is pretty much how I figured your team would look. It’s just amazing how little you care about appearances.”
Others couldn’t get past the racial makeup of the group.
“2 black women and no black men in 98 white people, black people. If this one single act does not show you that you need to bear arms form alliances and be ready to kill on command nothing f****** else , will,” one commenter thundered on Instagram.
Another person on the same thread tried to defend the hiring decisions, asking, “Maybe they were the best candidates? Maybe there were minimal black and Hispanic candidates available? There are 60% white people in the US. Black Americans who hold at least a bachelor’s degree number approximately 8.68 million people. But why make it about race?”
Other critics viewed the image as symbolic of broader changes taking place within the department under President Donald Trump, saying it reflected what they see as an administration increasingly hostile to policies benefiting minority communities.
“There’s your DEI. Y’all thought Trump was playing, he’s going to end civil rights,” one person wrote.
“This is hilariously horrible,” another added.
Others were more direct.
“This is AMERIKKKA,” one wrote.
On another X thread, one critic zoomed in on one of the two Black women in the photograph while referencing one of Trump’s most controversial White House advisers, saying, “What happened? How did she get past Ugly F—k Steven Miller?”
Another observer used sarcasm to describe what they saw in the image, writing: “There is so much diversity in the new recruits sworn in to the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. There are white men, white women, tall white people, short white people, white people with glasses, white people without glasses, white people with blonde hair and white brunettes!”
