Senior Counsel Carmen Maria Rey Caldas in The Guardian

Senior Counsel Carmen Maria Rey Caldas is featured in The Guardian article ‘Everyone has a breaking point’: the immigration judges at the sharp end of Trump’s deportation drive (May 9, 2026).

But some fired judges have pointed to a contradiction in the government’s own actions. Carmen Maria Rey Caldas, 46, noted that the government paid her severance, a benefit typically reserved for employees separated without cause.

“The government doesn’t state a reason,” she said. “And in fact, they just paid me severance. So arguably, that means they are admitting that there’s no cause because otherwise I wouldn’t be due severance.”

Read More: ‘Everyone has a breaking point’: the immigration judges at the sharp end of Trump’s deportation drive