(TNND) — A former San Francisco immigration judge is suing the Trump administration, alleging she was fired just days after raising alarms about what she described as unlawful and unconstitutional treatment of a detained child.
Chloe Dillon, who served as an immigration judge in San Francisco, filed suit Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The complaint alleges she was terminated in August 2025 in retaliation for whistleblowing, about 48 hours after she emailed a supervisor about what she described as potential statutory-law and due-process violations involving ICE’s detention of an unaccompanied minor after a court hearing.
According to the complaint, Dillon said the detained minor could not be placed in expedited removal proceedings and had the right to have his already-filed asylum application considered first.
The lawsuit alleges violations of the Whistleblower Protection Act, the First and Fifth Amendments, the Appointments Clause and Article II.
Dillon also alleges she had previously objected to a 2025 directive requiring immigration judges to grant all ICE motions to move cases to different court venues. Her supervisor allegedly told her that “the White House” was watching the issue and warned her against resisting the directive.
The White House and Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Immigration judges work for the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review and are part of the executive branch, not the federal judiciary.
The lawsuit comes amid a wave of firings. The Trump administration has fired more than 100 immigration judges since January 2025, according to Bloomberg Law. MS NOW reported at least 135 had been fired since Trump returned to office. Other fired immigration judges have separately sued, alleging discrimination based on gender, age, ethnicity or prior advocacy for immigrants.
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 10: U.S. President Donald Trump displays the signed Secure America Act in the Oval Office of the White House on June 10, 2026 in Washington, DC. The $70 billion package focuses entirely on funding Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations through the end of Trump’s term in office in FY2029. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
In a separate case, a Merit Systems Protection Board decision found the attorney general may remove immigration judges at will, though that decision is under appeal.
San Francisco’s immigration court, where Dillon worked, permanently closed Sept. 4.