US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin on Friday confirmed cuts to DHS oversight offices, including the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, in the newest round of government layoffs under the Trump administration.

In text messages confirming the cuts to Bloomberg News, McLaughlin excoriated the department’s affected sectors: “These offices have obstructed immigration enforcement by adding bureaucratic hurdles and undermining DHS’s mission.”

“Rather than supporting law enforcement efforts, they often function as internal adversaries that slow down operations,” McLaughlin continued.

McLaughlin accused the affected offices of “misusing taxpayer funds” and contributing to illegal immigration. In addition to the aforementioned offices, the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman was also targeted in the cuts.

Together these offices served oversight roles in the DHS by investigating rights violations, public complaints, and ensuring the DHS followed proper procedures and protocols.

This is the second round of firings to hit the DHS after a February wave of layoffs targeted other areas of the department including cybersecurity, technology, disaster response, and science. Democrat lawmakers authored a letter to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem before news of the latest cuts came out highlighting the essential functions of affected offices in the department:

From the establishment of DHS, Congress’s intent was clear–given the Department’s impacts on the lives of everyone in the United States, including DHS’s own employees, it is essential that there be an Office responsible for oversight of how DHS’s work impacted civil rights and civil liberties, starting with policy development and continuing through implementation and oversight.

The Department of Homeland Security was created shortly after the 9/11 attacks by the Homeland Security Act of 2002. It has expanded from further congressional action over the last 20 years and is now the third largest Presidential Cabinet Department. Areas under its control include the Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Coast Guard and the Secret Service.