At least four career attorneys leading sections of the Justice Department’s environment division have been transferred to work on immigration, according to three people familiar with the moves.
The reassignments affect Jennifer Neumann, who has led the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s (ENRD) Appellate Section since 2023; Deborah Harris, who has helmed the Environmental Crimes Section since 2014; Tom Mariani, who has led the Environmental Enforcement Section since 2016; and James Gette, who has been at the top of the Natural Resources Section since 2022.
They have been assigned to work on litigation related to “sanctuary cities,” or places that have positioned themselves as safe havens for undocumented immigrants.
The new Trump administration has said it would target cities that have adopted sanctuary policies, and acting DOJ leadership has issued a departmentwide memo ordering the reprioritization of resources to immigration enforcement.
DOJ ENRD declined to comment.
Neumann has been an ENRD Appellate Section attorney since 2004, where she has handled pollution control and criminal worker safety matters. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School.
Harris has worked for ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section since 1999. In her current role, she oversees 42 prosecutors handling a range of issues, including wildlife crimes. She holds bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of North Carolina, as well as a masters of law degree from Georgetown University.
Mariani, a graduate of Hamilton College and Columbia University Law School, held a number of roles in ENRD’s Environmental Enforcement Section before becoming chief.
Gette, who holds a law degree from the University of Chicago, is responsible for a wide range of property rights and Indian trust cases as head of ENRD’s Natural Resources Section.
Reporters Jennifer Yachnin and Jean Chemnick contributed.
