2026-05-06T20:34:28-04:00 / 福克斯新闻网
诉讼将代理司法部长托德·布兰奇及近30名被解雇或未通过试用期的法官列为被告
作者：路易斯·卡西阿诺 福克斯新闻网
发布于2026年5月6日美国东部时间晚8:34
一名遭特朗普政府解雇的加州移民法官在针对司法部的诉讼中指控，她被解雇是因为自己是注册民主党人，以及她与移民权利团体的关联。
这份长达14页的诉讼由基拉·利利恩提起，将司法部和代理美国司法部长托德·布兰奇列为被告。
利利恩声称，她未通过试用期留任涉及多个因素，包括她是一名40岁以上的女性、精通西班牙语，以及她与西班牙裔社区的联系。
法官叫停特朗普政府对试用期联邦雇员的大规模解雇
马里兰州吉尔伯特就业法律事务所的凯文·欧文是利利恩的律师之一，他告诉福克斯旧金山频道，利利恩不符合他们的“刻板标准”，针对她的行为是不当且违法的。
诉讼指控解雇行为侵犯了利利恩的公民权利和第一修正案权利。
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利利恩于2023年7月23日首次被任命至旧金山移民法院，后于2024年2月调至加州康科德移民法院。她总共任职近两年，按照司法部政策，移民法官在任命转为常任职位前需经历标准试用期。
此次诉讼将美国全国近30名被解雇或未通过试用期的移民法官列为相关方，其中包括康科德和旧金山移民法院的14名法官。
文件显示，与原告同期未通过转正或被解雇的移民法官绝大多数为女性。福克斯新闻数字频道已联系利利恩的律师、司法部以及司法部移民审查执行办公室（EOIR）。
多元化、公平性与包容性工作人员起诉叫停特朗普行政令
利利恩于2023年7月23日首次被任命至旧金山移民法院，后于2024年2月调至加州康科德移民法院。(iStock)
根据诉讼文件，利利恩在任职及试用期内均达到或超过所有绩效标准。
她在2024财年和2025财年的试用期评估报告中获得了“满意”评级——这是最高评级。根据移民跟踪中心（TRAC Immigration）的数据，作为法官，利利恩驳回了34%提交给她的庇护申请。
2025年7月11日，利利恩收到通知，其试用期将不会转为常任职位，通知称司法部长已根据宪法第二条决定不延长她的任期或转为常任任命。
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诉讼还指控时任移民审查执行办公室代理主任的瑟斯·欧文于2025年初发布了有争议的备忘录，显示出其对移民倡导团体和某些招聘做法的敌意。
据称，欧文在一份备忘录中将这些团体描述为“极端左翼组织”，称其宣扬非法移民并试图破坏移民法院的运作。
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他还发布了另一份备忘录，批评拜登政府时期的任命做法。
利利恩的诉讼称，这些备忘录共同暴露了管理层对雇佣有移民权利背景人士、女性、少数族裔及其他可能被视为“多元化、公平性与包容性（DEI）”招聘对象的敌意。
路易斯·卡西阿诺是福克斯新闻数字频道记者。新闻线索可发送至louis.casiano@fox.com。
California immigration judge sues DOJ, alleging she was fired for being a registered Democrat, a woman over 40
2026-05-06T20:34:28-04:00 / Fox News
Lawsuit names Acting AG Todd Blanche and nearly 30 other judges who were fired or not converted from probationary periods
By Louis Casiano Fox News
Published May 6, 2026 8:34pm EDT
A California immigration judge who was terminated by the Trump administration is alleging in a lawsuit against the Department of Justice that she was fired because she is a registered Democrat and because of her affiliations with immigrant-rights groups.
The 14-page lawsuit, filed by Kyra Lilien, names the DOJ and acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche as defendants.
Lilien claims she was not retained past her probationary period due to a number of factors, including being a woman over the age of 40, being fluent in Spanish and her associations with the Hispanic community.
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Kevin Owen of Gilbert Employment Law in Maryland, one of Lilien’s attorneys, told FOX San Francisco she didn’t fit their mold and that the actions taken against her were impermissible and unlawful.
The lawsuit alleges that her termination violated Lilien’s civil and First Amendment rights.
Asylum seekers, left, walk toward the southern border in Tijuana, Mexico, next to an image of a courtroom in the Concord Immigration Court in California. Kyra Lilien, an immigration judge, is suing the Trump administration over her termination, alleging she was fired because of her political affiliations.(Getty Images; Concord Immigration Court)
Lilien was initially appointed to serve at the San Francisco Immigration Court on July 23, 2023, before being transferred to the Concord Immigration Court in February 2024. In total, she served nearly two years, which is the standard probationary period immigration judges serve under Justice Department policy before their appointments are typically converted to permanent roles.
The lawsuit names nearly 30 other immigration judges from around the country who were either fired or not converted from probationary periods, including 14 from the Concord and San Francisco immigration courts.
The filing states that immigration judges who were not converted or were terminated around the same time as the plaintiff were overwhelmingly female. Fox News Digital has reached out to Lilien’s attorney, the DOJ and the DOJ’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR).
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Lilien was initially appointed to serve at the San Francisco Immigration Court July 23, 2023, before being transferred to the Concord Immigration Court in California in February 2024.(iStock)
Throughout her employment and during her probationary period, Lilien met or exceeded all performance standards, according to the lawsuit.
She received satisfactory assessments — the highest possible rating — in her probationary period reports for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. As a judge, Lilien denied 34% of asylum claims brought before her, according to data from TRAC Immigration.
On July 11, 2025, Lilien received a notice that her probationary period would not be converted permanently, and the message said the attorney general had decided not to extend her term or convert it to a permanent appointment pursuant to Article II of the Constitution.
Migrants line up at the southern border in San Diego in 2024.(Fox News)
The suit also alleges that Sirce Owen, who was serving as the acting EOIR director at the time, issued controversial memoranda in early 2025 that demonstrated hostility toward immigrant advocacy groups and certain hiring practices.
Owen allegedly characterized these groups in a memo as “extremist leftist organizations” that promote illegal immigration and attempt to undermine immigration courts.
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He also issued another memo criticizing the appointment practices under the Biden administration.
Lilien’s suit states that these memoranda together laid bare management’s hostility toward hiring individuals with immigrants’ rights backgrounds, women, ethnic minorities and others who may be considered “DEI” hires.
Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to louis.casiano@fox.com.