State Department to Classify DEI Enforcement, Mass Migration and Abortion Funding as 'Human Rights Infringements' — Report to Emphasize Free Speech

The U.S. State Department has instructed embassies and consulates to document enforcement of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, alleged facilitation of mass migration, and government funding tied to abortion medications as "human rights infringements" for its next annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, a senior State Department official said Thursday.

Officials said the report will place renewed emphasis on what they describe as "natural rights," notably freedom of speech, and will pay particular attention to restrictions in Western Europe, including online regulatory regimes such as the EU's Digital Services Act.

New reporting guidance

In a diplomatic cable, the department directed diplomats to "go out in the field, talk to people, collect data that then informs the report." The guidance formalizes changes first seen in the edition released in August, which covered the 2024 calendar year, and aligns the report more closely with current administration priorities.

Categories diplomats will be asked to document

• Arrests, administrative penalties, and official investigations or warnings related to speech and expression.
• Enforcement of affirmative action or DEI policies that the department characterizes as providing "preferential treatment" on the basis of race, sex, or caste.
• Facilitation of mass or illegal migration across national borders and the human rights and public-safety impacts of such movements.
• Gender-affirming care for minors.
• State subsidization of abortions or abortifacient drugs, and an estimate of the annual number of abortions.

State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the administration will not tolerate what it described as "destructive ideologies" that shelter human-rights violations, citing examples such as restrictions on speech and racially discriminatory employment practices.

Reactions and context

The directive has drawn sharp criticism from a former senior State Department official who warned the approach abandons decades of bipartisan U.S. leadership on universal human rights and risks replacing it with an ideological framework described as "theocratic" in tone. That former official compared the shift unfavorably to core American founding principles.

Supporters of the change say the focus on individual rights — rather than group identities — aims to protect persons persecuted for any reason. A senior official described the shift as prioritizing "individual freedom not based on some group identity."

The August report was noticeably pared back compared with earlier editions, removing or reducing sections on alleged abuses tied to sexual orientation, violence against women, and systemic racial or ethnic violence. This new guidance signals the department intends to continue reshaping the report's scope and emphasis.

What to watch

The revised reporting standards are intended to be a tool to influence the behavior of other governments. Officials said Washington will raise concerns with allies if it believes free-speech protections are weakening and will reflect any subsequent changes in future reports. Observers will watch how allies, human-rights organizations, and foreign governments respond to these expanded reporting criteria.

Key named figures in the debate include State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott and senior administration leaders such as Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose critics say the changes mark a significant shift in U.S. human-rights diplomacy.