A federal immigration judge in San Francisco, Chloe Dillon, was reportedly fired after she raised concerns about the legal strategies employed by the Trump administration and refused to fast-track the deportation of a teenage asylum seeker, according to a lawsuit. The complaint, filed in federal court, claims Dillon was terminated approximately 48 hours after sending a message to a superior about her concerns regarding an incident in August 2025. In her message, Dillon expressed alarm that a teenager seeking asylum had been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after leaving her courtroom. Dillon had delayed ICE’s request to dismiss the individual’s case and place them into expedited removal proceedings, a process that allows for quicker deportation without a full hearing. Before the arrest, Dillon gave the individual time to find a lawyer, as they were representing themselves. Dillon argued in the lawsuit that when judges fear being fired for their decisions, it undermines the principles of fair judicial review. She questioned how immigration courts could function as impartial tribunals under such conditions of fear and pressure. According to the suit, the asylum seeker was likely an unaccompanied minor who had the legal right to have their asylum application reviewed first by an asylum officer, followed by a potential hearing in immigration court. Dillon believed ICE had no authority to expedite the case and had disrupted the proper legal process. The San Francisco immigration court reportedly faced pressure from the Trump administration to comply with ICE requests to move cases to other locations. Dillon claims a superior warned her in the spring of 2025 that the White House was monitoring the situation and advised her not to resist directives. Despite this, Dillon continued to push back in cases where she believed ICE lacked jurisdiction to reschedule hearings involving unaccompanied minors. In her August email to her superior, Dillon argued that ICE was "disrupting the orderly administration of justice," according to the lawsuit. The complaint names the Justice Department and Attorney General Todd Blanche, among others, and seeks to have Dillon reinstated, along with back pay, damages, and a declaration that her firing was unlawful. The lawsuit claims her First and Fifth Amendment rights were violated, as well as federal law, and states that she was fired without notice or an opportunity to challenge the decision. The Independent has reached out to the White House and the Department of Justice for comment. Over the past 18 months, the Trump administration reportedly fired most of the immigration judges in San Francisco and closed one of the main immigration courts in the area. Immigration officials have increased arrests near courthouses, schools, and other sensitive locations. Many individuals have reported being arrested after attending appointments to check in with immigration authorities about their legal status, a process that had previously been conducted without incident.