Trump admin issues demand to DHS staff to preserve records in litigation about elusive Noem texts

Source: Law & Crime

Nov 22nd, 2025, 3:12 pm


The Trump administration is now telling its own staff to make sure they preserve records in an ongoing lawsuit over allegations the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was violating a legal mandate to retain text messages and other "electronic" data.

On Friday, in an 8-page joint status report, DHS and transparency-focused watchdog group American Oversight drew a district judge's attention to a government-issued notice demanding that certain officials "preserve documents and electronic records that relate to the subject matter of the complaint in this case."

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit was filed in October. The group alleges a DHS statement regarding "text message data" about government business "generated after April 9, 2025, is no longer maintained" and thus evinces a violation of the Federal Records Act (FRA).

Earlier this month, DHS issued a mea culpa of sorts – saying technology changes resulted in both a "misunderstanding" and "erroneous information" being provided to American Oversight about the agency's record retention capabilities and practices.

Read more: https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/put-these-officials-on-notice-trump-admin-issues-demand-to-dhs-staff-to-preserve-records-in-litigation-about-elusive-noem-texts-after-admitting-misunderstanding/