The Department of Labor wants its employees to report their colleagues’ DEI activities

The Department of Labor (DOL) emailed employees earlier this month, reminding them to report those pursuing work it considers to be “DEI-related discrimination,” according to an email seen by Wired.

The email was from a general “DOL Guidance and Information” email account, so it’s unclear who issued the directive.

The directive described “DEI-related discrimination” as any action, from hiring to mentoring, “motivated” by a person’s race, color, gender, or other protected characteristic. It further outlined prohibited activities, such as restricting events based on protected identities or rewarding employees based on their commitment to diversity. The statute of limitations is three years, allowing employees to report activities approved when President Biden was in office, according to Wired.

Employees were directed to flag violations of anti-DEI policy to the Office of Special Counsel, where they would be protected under whistleblower statutes, Bloomberg Law reported. Workers can also report DEI activity to the agency’s Civil Rights Center, but those reports must occur within 45 days of an alleged violation.

“It’s pure witch-hunt territory–very dangerous and could be easily abused,” a DOL employee told Wired. “Many of us had DEI activities in our performance standards under the previous administration. This would make those a punishable offense.”

President Trump and many of his appointees and supporters have been critical of DEI since the 2024 election cycle. The administration has made it a point to target DEI since coming back into power through various executive orders and directives from the DOL and Department of Justice.

The acting labor secretary, Keith Sonderling, supported efforts to reduce bias in recruitment automation and AI during the Biden administration, but was unclear about his stance on DEI during his assistant labor secretary confirmation hearing in early 2025.

His predecessor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who was publicly critical of DEI practices, stepped down in late April after allegations of a hostile work environment and sexual misconduct, HR Brew reported.

The DOL did not respond to HR Brew’s request for comment.