By Daniel Wiessner

May 13 (Reuters) - A third former U.S. immigration judge has filed a lawsuit accusing President Donald Trump's administration of unlawfully purging what it saw as "DEI hires" by targeting women and non-white judges to be fired.

The Trump administration has terminated more than 110 immigration judges, including Florence Chamberlin, who said in a complaint filed in San Francisco federal court on Tuesday that the campaign is an extension of the administration's efforts to eradicate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

Immigration judges preside over deportation cases and decide petitions for asylum and other forms of relief from deportation.

Justice Department memos that preceded the mass firings said that people of "certain backgrounds" had been given preferential treatment and promised to “penalize illegal DEI preferences," according to the lawsuit.

Those memos "laid bare management’s hostility to hiring individuals with immigrants’ rights backgrounds, women, racial and ethnic minorities, and others who may be considered 'DEI' hires," said Chamberlin, who was based in a Concord, California, immigration court.

Chamberlin, who is of Cuban descent and about 60 years old, is accusing the Department of Justice and its Executive Office for Immigration Review of discriminating based on her sex, national origin and age.

DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

Immigration judges who were based in San Francisco and Chicago before they were fired last year filed similar lawsuits against the Justice Department earlier this month. The department has not yet responded.

The Trump administration has fired at least 113 immigration judges and a similar number have taken buyouts, resigned or retired out of a total of approximately 700 judges, according to the National Association of Immigration Judges.

At the same time, the Justice Department has hired more than 140 new judges, some on a temporary basis and most with military or enforcement backgrounds. The agency now refers to the officials as "deportation judges."

Chamberlin's case has been assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Kandis Westmoreland, who is also presiding over the lawsuit filed earlier this month by former immigration judge Kyra Lilien.

Chamberlin is seeking to be reinstated to her job and to be awarded backpay, lost benefits and other compensatory damages.

The case is Chamberlin v. Blanche, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, No. 3:26-cv-04390.

For Chamberlin: Peter Bertling of Peter Bertling Law Group; Geoffrey Simpson of Gilbert Employment Law; and Nathaniel Zelinsky of Washington Litigation Group

For DOJ: Not yet available

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