A federal immigration judge appointed by Joe Biden in 2023 and allegedly fired without cause by the Trump administration two years later is suing the government, claiming she was illegally terminated due to her sex, race, and political views. Florence Chamberlin, an experienced attorney and longtime advocate for immigrant rights, filed a discrimination lawsuit alleging that Donald Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ) took issue with her background as a Cuban woman and her work advocating for immigrants.
Lawsuit Details
Chamberlin's complaint states that her membership in the Democratic Party was held against her by senior Trump officials, including White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and former Attorney General Pam Bondi. It further alleges that the DOJ accused immigrant advocacy organizations of fraud and labeled them extremists. Meanwhile, immigration judges with exclusively prosecutorial backgrounds were retained.
The lawsuit names the DOJ and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche as defendants. It is one of at least four complaints from terminated judges alleging discrimination based on race, gender, and political background.
Pattern of Discrimination
The complaints accuse the Justice Department of deliberately targeting judges with Hispanic, Latino, Middle Eastern, or Asian backgrounds, or those with a history of supporting immigrant rights, and replacing them with white men. Attorney Kevin Owen, representing Chamberlin, stated he has three additional cases ready to file.
The DOJ argues that the president has vast authority under Article II of the Constitution, including the power to fire employees regardless of civil rights laws. Owen countered, 'The executive branch is not immune from civil rights laws.'
Background and Performance
Chamberlin was appointed as an immigration judge in California on September 23, 2023. Before her appointment, she spent nearly 25 years defending noncitizens from deportation, most recently as managing director of the Ciudad Juarez office of Kids in Need of Defense. During her 24-month probationary period, she adjudicated 2,714 cases, far exceeding the government's target of 1,400, and received the highest performance ratings.
After Trump returned to the White House, four women in permanent leadership positions in the immigration court system were terminated, including then-Chief Immigration Judge Sheila McNulty. In February, multiple female assistant chief immigration judges were fired, and a series of policy memos issued by top immigration court official Sirce E. Owen were described as 'hostile toward noncitizens and noncitizen advocacy.'
DOJ Memos and Firings
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi released a memo penalizing 'illegal DEI preferences.' Sirce E. Owen issued memos targeting Biden's judicial appointments, claiming favorable treatment for certain backgrounds and vowing to rectify those harms. The memos revealed management's hostility toward hiring individuals with immigrant rights backgrounds, women, and racial and ethnic minorities.
More than 100 immigration judges left their posts following the memos, with a disproportionate number of women and ethnic minorities among those fired, according to Chamberlin's complaint.
Impact on Immigration Courts
Immigration judges determine whether immigrants can be deported or granted legal status. After Trump took office, the DOJ instructed judges to dismiss cases, making immigrants easy targets for arrest and removal. The administration also denied bond to immigrants, upending decades of precedent, and lowered hiring standards for new judges. The Department of Defense approved sending up to 600 military lawyers to immigration courts to reduce case backlogs.
Chamberlin's firing, she claims, violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and her First Amendment rights. She seeks reinstatement, compensatory damages, and lost pay and benefits.
