Former immigration judge sues Justice Department, alleging firing after raising ICE concerns

Former San Francisco immigration Judge Chloe Dillon has filed a lawsuit alleging that the Justice Department fired her for challenging ICE’s enforcement tactics. Dillon states that she repeatedly came forward with concerns about ICE’s unlawful actions, including on August 20, when she sent an email to her boss reporting that ICE “unlawfully detained an unaccompanied minor” after a hearing in her courtroom.She was fired two days later, a decision she says was “without cause” and for which she was given no notice. Dillon argues that the firing broke her “constitutional due process rights,” and that “the removal was taken, in part, on her perceived political views.”“It is important for people to know that the immigration courts no longer exist as an unbiased forum,” Dillon told Newsweek. “This issue reaches everyone—if not personally, someone in their community is undoubtedly affected by immigration.”Her lawsuit against the DOJ also cites a 2025 email she sent citing concerns over a directive “to grant any and all motions to change venue” filed by ICE attorneys. “First, the idea that ICE motions to change venue should always be granted is contrary to law and offends due process,” she told Newsweek. “Second, ICE arrests at courthouses—particularly of an unaccompanied minor who had rights under a DOJ settlement agreement—endanger everyone and disrupt the orderly conduct of the court.”Her lawsuit begins with one of George Orwell’s most famous quotes: “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”Dillon is one of 14 judges who have been fired during Donald Trump’s second tenure.The suit is specifically against Attorney General Todd Blanche and the Executive Office for Immigration Review. They deny Dillon’s claim as “patently false.” Dillon’s case is a reaffirmation of one of the most defining dynamics of the second Trump administration: You must be a loyalist to keep your job.

Chloe Dillon, a former immigration judge, has alleged that she was fired without cause after raising concerns about ICE.