Asheville, North Carolina - Donald Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ) has threatened North Carolina's Buncombe County after the release of a reparations commission report.

"The U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division has recently become aware of concerning recommendations presented to you by the Asheville-Buncombe County Community Reparations Commission," read a September 4 letter to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners signed by Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division.

"After our initial review, we are deeply concerned that many of the recommendations, if implemented, would violate federal civil rights laws, including, without limitation, the Fair Housing Act, Title VI, Title VII, and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution."

The Asheville-Buncombe Community Reparations Commission (CRC) held more than 40 public meetings between 2021 and 2025 as it sought to document the enduring impacts of enslavement and racial discrimination on Black communities.

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Earlier this month, the CRC presented to Buncombe County commissioners its slate of policy proposals to repair ongoing harms in five key areas: criminal justice, economic development, education, health and wellness, and housing. The blueprint includes ending the school-to-prison pipeline, extending grants to legacy neighborhoods and public housing communities, providing direct cash payments to individuals harmed by racial discrimination, and more.

The DOJ has responded by threatening to launch a probe if any of the proposals are implemented.

"My office will be closely monitoring your actions," Dhillon wrote. "To the extent these recommendations are formally adopted, you are now on notice that my office stands ready to investigate and enforce violations of federal civil rights laws to the fullest extent possible."