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By Marni Rose McFall
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Chloe Dillon, a former San Francisco immigration judge, has filed a federal lawsuit and alleged that she was fired by the Department of Justice (DOJ) after raising concerns about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations and tactics.
Dillon is one of 14 San Francisco judges who have been fired since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025 and began enforcing the hardline immigration policy that was key to his 2024 reelection bid.
“It is important for people to know that the immigration courts no longer exist as an unbiased forum," Dillon, the first to sue over her removal, told Newsweek via email. "This issue reaches everyone—if not personally, someone in their community is undoubtedly affected by immigration.”
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The lawsuit was filed against Attorney General Todd Blanche and the DOJ, and the Executive Office for Immigration Review, a sub-agency of the DOJ, and its acting director, Sirce Owen.
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The DOJ refuted the allegations. A spokesperson for the agency told NBC that it does not usually comment on pending litigation but described the allegations in the lawsuit as “patently false.”
"After four years of the Biden Administration forcing Immigration Courts to implement a de facto amnesty for hundreds of thousands of aliens, this Department of Justice is restoring integrity to our immigration system,” the DOJ said in a statement.
Newsweek has contacted the DOJ for comment via email.
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In the lawsuit, Dillon alleges that her termination was unlawful and came after she repeatedly raised concerns about what she believed were unlawful immigration enforcement actions and improper directives affecting immigration court proceedings.
According to a filing reviewed by Newsweek, Dillon on August 20 sent an email to her supervisor that expressed concerns that ICE agents had “unlawfully detained an unaccompanied minor.”
Two days later, Dillon was allegedly terminated “without cause.”
The filing states that she was not provided notice or an opportunity to be heard and alleges that termination violated “constitutional due process rights” and “First Amendment rights because the removal was taken, in part, on her perceived political views.”
Dillon, who had been in the position from September 2022 to August 2025, was appointed by the Biden administration and took the bench after serving for almost a decade as a federal public defender in San Diego.
It is also alleged in the suit that in April 2025, the San Francisco assistant chief immigration judge instructed judges to routinely grant ICE motions to transfer immigration cases to different courts.
According to the complaint, when she objected, her supervisor warned her that "the White House" was paying attention to the issue and said she should be careful about pushing back.
Dillon told Newsweek: “First, the idea that ICE motions to change venue should always be granted is contrary to law and offends due process. 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.”
Earlier this month, San Francisco’s immigration court was officially closed following a wave of firings and retirements.
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Concerns About ICE Operations
Recent polling has shown that Trump has begun to lose ground on what was formerly his strongest issue amid concerns about ICE operations.
An August poll from Reuters/Ipsos showed that 40 percent of registered voters said Republicans had a better approach on immigration policy to 38 percent who chose Democrats, a spread that marked the lowest of Trump’s second term in office.
There have been a series of concerns and high-profile incidents involving ICE since Trump’s second term began. Early this year, there was widespread fallout in response to the ICE operation Metro Surge during which two U.S. citizens were fatally shot in Minneapolis: Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three by ICE on January 7, and Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse by Border Patrol on January 24.
In July, an ICE agent fatally shot a motorist—25-year-old Colombian Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero—marking at least the ninth death since Trump began his immigration crackdown.
There have also been broader concerns about the use of deadly force and deaths in ICE custody. At least 30 people died in ICE custody in 2025, the highest annual total since 2004. In the first five months of 2026, 18 deaths have been reported.
So too have concerns been raised about the detention of minors. According to The Guardian, ICE booked about 3,800 minors into immigrant family detention from January to October of 2025. Some children were as young as a year old.
What Happens Next
Dillon’s suit is seeking reinstatement as an immigration judge, as well as back pay, lost benefits and compensatory damages.
“The government will have about 60 days to respond to the lawsuit," she told Newsweek. "Once we get past any motion they file, we’ll be able to take discovery. We look forward to that process.”
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick and Dave Siminoff.
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