Dhillon said she had decided to resign on her own and had delayed making the announcement at the request of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles until after Election Day.

Indian-origin Harmeet Kaur Dhillon has resigned as head of the US Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, becoming the first senior Trump administration official to step down since the Republicans suffered a major defeat in the midterm elections.

US Attorney General Todd Blanche announced her departure on Thursday, praising her work in the role.

“She has defended the civil liberties of every American and enforced the law without fear or favour," Blanche wrote in a post on X.

Dhillon told Fox News that she had decided to resign on her own and had delayed making the announcement at the request of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles until after Election Day.

In a post on X, Dhillon called the role as the “honour of a lifetime" and thanked Trump for giving her the opportunity.

Why Did Harmeet Kaur Dhillon Resign?

Dhillon said she was proud of her work at the Civil Rights Division, claiming her team had helped end what she called illegal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies and had fought to protect women’s and girls’ sports.

“Serving my country as AAG for Civil Rights has been the honour of a lifetime. We ushered in the downfall of illegal DEI, we fought to protect women and girls’ sports, and so much more. I want to thank President Trump for giving me this opportunity. I look forward to what’s next," she wrote on X.

She did not give a specific reason for stepping down, maintaining that the decision was her own.

Who Is Harmeet Kaur Dhillon?

Born in Chandigarh into a Punjabi Sikh family, Dhillon moved to the US with her parents after they initially spent time in London.

A lawyer by profession, she ran a law firm in San Francisco and was closely associated with Trump even before joining his administration. Her firm was part of his 2020 election campaign’s legal team.

Dhillon became a prominent supporter of the Republican leader and regularly appeared on conservative podcasts and social media platforms.

Speaking at an event in New York in May, she called her parents’ decision to move to the US as the “greatest gift" they had given her.

She said she became a naturalised US citizen at the age of 10.

(With inputs from PTI)