The Magical Congress of the United States of America

The Magical Congress of the United States of America (often abbreviated MACUSA) was the magical body in charge of governing the wizarding community of the United States of America. It was led by the President of the Magical Congress of the United States of America. Unlike the No-Maj United States Congress, which is divided into a House of Representatives and a United States Senate, the MACUSA was unicameral. The MACUSA was located within the Woolworth Building in downtown New York City.

MACUSA performed many of the same functions as other wizarding governing bodies in other countries, such as the Ministries of Magic or Councils of Magic.

MACUSA was modelled on the Wizards' Council of Great Britain, which predated the Ministry of Magic. Representatives from magical communities all over North America were elected to MACUSA to create laws that both policed and protected American wizard kind.

In MACUSA's early years, its primary aim was to rid the continent of Scourers, corrupt wizards who had hunted their fellow magical beings for personal gain. MACUSA's second great law enforcement challenge was the number of wizarding criminals who had fled to America from Europe and beyond, precisely because of the lack of organized law enforcement such as existed in their own countries.

The Magical Congress of the United States of America was established in 1693 with the introduction of the International Statute of Secrecy, as a direct result of the Salem Witch Trials. Thus this means that MACUSA pre-dates the No-Maj formation of the United States of America by around a century. One of the representatives was Josiah Jackson, who became the first President of MACUSA. Josiah was thought to be strong enough to deal with the troubles caused by the Salem Witch Trials.

The first dozen volunteers to train as Aurors in the US had a special place in United States wizarding history, in part due to their sacrifice. Their descendants were given particular respect ever since. Of these twelve, only two survived into old age: Charity Wilkinson, who would become MACUSA's third President, and Theodard Fontaine, whose direct descendant Agilbert was the Headmaster of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry by 2016.[3] Another vital part of the Law Enforcement Offices were the US Auror Divisions, which conducted Auror as well as police work.

Also of note were Gondulphus Graves, ancestor to Percival Graves, whose family were influential in American wizarding politics, and Abraham Potter, who genealogists would discover centuries later was distantly related to the famous Harry Potter.

As with most other magical governing bodies, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was the largest department in MACUSA.

MACUSA President
The President of the Magical Congress of the United States of America was the leader of the wizarding world in the United States and the highest ranking member of the Magical Congress of the United States of America, which they presided over. Josiah Jackson became the first President of MACUSA. Josiah was thought to be strong enough to deal with the troubles caused by the Salem Witch Trials.

Departments
MACUSA had several departments in all, each dealing with different aspects of the wizarding world. It had a Department of Magical Law Enforcement, just as the British Ministry of Magic did. It was also the largest department, and all others more or less answered to it. Some of the departments were:

Body for Protection of Magical Species
The Body for Protection of Magical Species was a department in the Magical Congress of the United States of America tasked with the protection and preservation of magical creatures in the United States of America.[1] It was the American equivalent to the British Ministry of Magic's Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

Department of Aurors
The MACUSA Department of Aurors was a department at the Magical Congress of the United States of America specifically tasked with the capture of dangerous criminals. They operated under the authority of the Magical Congress of the United States of America, presumably in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Department of Magical Law Enforcement
The Department of Magical Law Enforcement was a department of the Magical Congress of the United States of America responsible for upholding magical laws in the United States of America. It was the largest department in MACUSA.

The Wand Permit Office was a subdivision of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Magical Congress of the United States of America. The office was charged with the duty of issuing, verifying and maintaining registry over wand permits for witches and wizards in the United States of America.

Department of No-Maj Misinformation
The Department of No-Maj Misinformation was a department of the Magical Congress of the United States of America which covered up magical events seen by the non-magical community by supplying wrong information.

Department of Unidentifiable Magical Objects
The Department of Unidentifiable Magical Objects (or D.O.U.M.O.) was a department of the Magical Congress of the United States of America located on level 301 in 1926. A Welcome to MACUSA pamphlet warned visitors not to leave any suspicious magical objects unattended as they would be reported and assessed by this department and most likely destroyed.

Department for Confiscated Items
The Department for Confiscated Items was a department in the Magical Congress of the United States of America responsible for paperwork relating to prohibited items that had been seized by law enforcement. The paperwork for a confiscated item gave them a Grade of Violation between one and nine and included a checklist of relevant laws that should be referred to.

Federal Bureau of Covert Vigilance and No-Maj Obliviation
The Federal Bureau of Covert Vigilance and No-Maj Obliviation (F.B.C.V.N.O.) was a wizarding government agency that seemingly operated under the jurisdiction of the Magical Congress of the United States of America. The Federal Bureau of Covert Vigilance and No-Maj Obliviation was tasked with detecting and dealing with magical contraventions in the US through the use of real-time hex indication maps, in addition to using spells of concealment, protection, and Memory Charms in order to hide the magical community from the non-magical population.

MACUSA Surveillance Wizarding Resources Department
The MACUSA Surveillance Wizarding Resources Department (M.S.W.R.D.) was a department of the Magical Congress of the United States of America that provided support and offered advice to its citizenry in emergency situations.

Magical Cleaning Department
A Welcome to MACUSA pamphlet warned visitors to "please prevent floors from becoming wet or contaminated. Use a simple Cleaning Charm if possible". The pamphlet also advised visitors to contact this department in the event of any heavy soiling.

Major Investigation Department
The Major Investigation Department was a large office that served as the base of operation for the Investigative Team, a specially-assigned task force that, under the direction of the Director of Magical Security, reported directly to the President of the Magical Congress of the United States of America.
It was charged with the containment of magical emergencies of such a magnitude as to be outside the remit of regular Aurors, such as investigating incidents that infringed upon the International Confederation of Wizards' Statute of Secrecy or otherwise threatened the security of the entire wizarding community of America as a whole.

The members of the department, collectively known as the Investigative Team, consisted of the Director of Magical Security and the highest-level Aurors in the organization, with the occasional input of the President of the Magical Congress of the United States of America. High-level MACUSA employees met to discuss ongoing threats to the safety of the wizarding community of America and resolve issues of magical security and the safety of the magical citizenry. The members of this department would occasionally run point when the organization was called upon to tackle a particularly dangerous threat, such as during the Obscurial attack on New York in December of 1926, when the Major Investigation Department was charged with identifying, locating the source to the magical disturbances that was terrorizing the city, and lead their fellow Aurors in the subsequent onslaught to neutralize the threat once the culprit had been cornered in the New York City Subway.

Office for Magic Relations and Education
The Office for Magic Relations and Education was an office in the Magical Congress of the United States of America charged with issuing cultural and educational content. Presumably it had at least some jurisdiction over Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Wizarding Resources Department
The Wizarding Resources Department (alternatively known as the MACUSA Wizarding Resources, or MACUSA W.R.) was a department of the Magical Congress of the United States of America located on level 101 in 1926. A Welcome to MACUSA pamphlet instructed visitors to direct any questions, or report any injuries, diseases, or dangerous occurrences to this department

Most of the departments listed had either something to do with magical law or No-Maj relations, as MACUSA spent a large amount of its resources toward keeping the American Wizarding community hidden from No-Majs.