DOJ Restructures Leadership: Environment Section Chiefs Shift Focus to Immigration Challenges

Four senior attorneys from the Justice Department’s environment division have been reassigned to focus on immigration issues. This shift includes key figures like Jennifer Neumann, Deborah Harris, Tom Mariani, and James Gette.

Neumann has been the head of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Appellate Section since 2023. Harris has led the Environmental Crimes Section for nearly a decade, while Mariani and Gette have been in their roles for several years, overseeing enforcement and natural resources, respectively.

Their new responsibilities involve addressing legal matters tied to “sanctuary cities,” which are areas that support undocumented immigrants. With the new Trump administration indicating a crackdown on such cities, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has redirected attention and resources towards immigration enforcement.

The DOJ has also shared a memo outlining this change in focus, but the ENRD did not provide any comments on these transitions.

Neumann has been with the ENRD since 2004, specializing in pollution control and worker safety law. She graduated from the University of Michigan Law School. Harris has been with the Environmental Crimes Section since 1999, managing a team of 42 prosecutors dealing with issues from wildlife trafficking to pollution. She holds degrees from the University of North Carolina and a master’s law degree from Georgetown University.

Mariani, who studied at Hamilton College and Columbia University Law School, has risen through the ranks in the Environmental Enforcement Section before becoming chief. Gette, a University of Chicago law graduate, oversees various cases related to property rights and Indian trust issues.

This shift highlights the changing priorities within the DOJ, reflecting broader immigration policies and the agencies’ responses to them.