Anti-DEI Trump Official to Lead DOJ Civil Rights Office

A Trump official who declared all race-based programs illegal and urged colleges to end affinity housing will temporarily take over civil rights enforcement at the Justice Department. 

The administration said this week that Craig Trainor will become the acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s civil rights division. Trainor replaces Harmeet Dhillon, who resigned last week. 

Under Dhillon, the DOJ’s civil rights division took on a greater role in higher ed, launching numerous investigations into admissions practices at medical and law schools and cutting deals with universities over alleged violations of the law, often related to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives or pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus.

DOJ also is set to take on more civil rights enforcement responsibilities from the Education Department under an interagency agreement announced in June. Trainor served as the ED acting assistant secretary for civil rights before he moved to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he had been assistant secretary for fair housing and equal opportunity since October 2025.

While at ED, Trainor issued sweeping guidance declaring that race-conscious student programming, resources and financial aid was illegal, and he threatened to rescind the federal funding of any institution that didn’t comply. A federal judge eventually vacated the guidance, but the Justice Department has put similar policies on the books.