Virginia cities slammed over DEI mandates following fed probe into City of Austin DEI

First on Fox: A Trump-allied legal group is ramping up a lobbying campaign targeting big blue cities that are violating President Donald Trump’s executive orders and federal civil rights law by continuing to include Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) In their practices.

America First Legal (AFL) sent three more civil rights complaints to the Department of Justice’s Office of Civil Rights this week asking it to investigate the Virginia cities of Richmond, Alexandria, and Arlington for violations of Title VI and Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as Trump’s executive orders on discriminatory DEI initiatives, through city and county employment and public service programs. The AFL says cities receive federal grant money and distribute it across their city governments, in various departments, and for multiple purposes, making them vulnerable to federal scrutiny.

Civil rights complaint letters to Ministry of Justice It follows the agency’s decision to launch an investigation into the city of Austin for similar DEI violations, which was followed by the AFL’s first letter of complaint to the Justice Department’s Office for Civil Rights earlier this month, asking the agency to investigate Seattle for alleged discriminatory DEI practices. The AFL filed a complaint against Portland a few days later as well, alleging similar accusations.

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“Despite these federal civil rights laws, these jurisdictions openly engage in diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) policies in their jurisdictions, ordering local departments to implement discriminatory “equity” programs and directives,” an AFL press release said. “Race-based policies do not create justice, they destroy it. As Virginia moves left, America First Legal will continue to lead the fight to ensure federal funds never support programs that divide citizens, weaken public safety, or erode the rule of law.”

Virginia police officers are seen walking outside the state Capitol in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/AFP) (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)

In the AFL’s complaint, the legal watchdog accused the city of Richmond of creating a “government-wide discriminatory pattern or practice” by entrenching racial equality in every department. The complaint cites hiring materials embedded with discriminatory themes, mandatory DEI training, Richmond’s Equity Agenda, and D.C.’s creation of an Office of Equity and Inclusion, which the AFL claims is intended to empower “only certain people and communities based on race,” rather than merit.

Richmond’s fiscal year budgets reportedly measured the department’s performance by the percentage of employees who completed “equity training,” with a stated goal of 100 percent participation. Meanwhile, the AFL also cited the Climate Justice Action Plan and Richmond’s Racial and Environmental Justice (REEJ) Program, which the group accuses of directing resources to only certain racial groups.

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the Civil rights complaints v. Alexandria and Arlington contain allegations similar to those levied against Richmond.

A monument to Confederate General A. B. Hill once stood prominently at the intersection of Laburnum Avenue and Hermitage Road in Richmond, Virginia. However, after a long battle, a judge agreed to remove it and remove it in 2022. The statue is currently in storage at an undisclosed location. Hill’s remains, which were inside the statue, were reburied at Fairview Cemetery in Culpeper County, Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helper, File)

The Alexandria Office of Racial and Social Equity (RASE), claims that the AFL works to integrate “racial and social justice into all city policies, programs, decisions, and environments” and ensure city policies and programs are “discussed and evaluated through a racial and social justice lens.”

In particular, the AFL calls for the Alexandria Police Department to develop a “Racial Equity Plan,” which the complaint claims contains instructions for the police department to “exert efforts in creating a diverse workforce” with the goal of “improving.”[ing] Demographic representation” through hiring. A similar “strategic plan” from the city’s fire department is said to push similar hiring preferences into its department as well, the AFL claims.

A police officer closes an intersection in Alexandria, Virginia. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Arlington has been accused of drawing up an “affirmative action plan” which the AFL says includes “non-employment targets” based on race for specific job groups. These goals include increasing minority representation in the “senior officials” job pool from 35.23% to 45%, and minority representation in “police officers” From 27.38% to 38% according to the AFL complaint.

To demonstrate the real-world consequences of these cities’ policies, the AFL’s complaint against Arlington cited an incident at a local public school from last year.

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Polling station in Arlington, Virginia. (Valerie Blish/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“In September 2024, a sex offender was allowed to use the girls’ locker room at Washington Liberty High School in Arlington County for several months because he claimed to be transgender — a direct result of a district policy allowing individuals to use facilities based on their alleged ‘gender identity.’ The individual ultimately exposed his genitals to a 9-year-old girl,” the AFL’s complaint to the Department of Justice said. “This incident demonstrates how Arlington County’s race- and gender-sensitive policies not only violate federal civil rights law, but are also harmful to student safety.”

Last month, the AFL reached a settlement with City of Philadelphia Which began in 2019 due to alleged race- and gender-based quotas and “discriminatory” union membership requirements in public contracting. Under the settlement, the city of Philadelphia agreed to rewrite “project labor agreements,” which the AFL said penalizes city contractors who refuse to adhere to its DEI mandates. Under the settlement, the city was forced to make previous workforce diversity goals “fully aspirational” and end “quotas or mandatory minimums.”