ICE slammed by Minnesota judge after contempt threat
Todd Lyons, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, speaks at a news conference about “Operation Midway Blitz,” an immigration enforcement campaign, at a hangar in Gary, Indiana, on Oct. 30, 2025.
Leah Millis | Reuters
A top Minnesota federal court judge said Wednesday: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Last month, a lawsuit was filed for allegedly violating nearly 100 court orders.
“This list should give pause to anyone who cares about the rule of law, regardless of their political views,” Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz of the U.S. District Court in Minneapolis wrote in an opinion piece. new court file.
“ICE probably violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence,” said Schiltz, who said earlier this week that ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons will hold a hearing where the judge will have to explain why the judge should not hold him in contempt of court for repeatedly violating judicial orders.
The judge warned that future failure by ICE to comply with federal judicial orders could result in Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons or other government officials being ordered to appear in court in person to explain their actions.
“ICE is not a law unto itself,” Schiltz wrote.
“ICE has the right to appeal this Court’s orders, but like every plaintiff, ICE must comply with these orders until they are overturned or revoked.”
cases The cases in which Schiltz accused ICE of failing to comply with judicial orders were all so-called “habeas” cases that questioned the legality of detaining a person.
The judge’s harsh words against ICE came as he canceled a contempt of court hearing for Lyons scheduled for Friday.
A man protests the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a citywide rally against increased immigration enforcement at the Whipple federal building in Minneapolis on January 8, 2026.
Tim Evans | Reuters
Lyons had been ordered to appear in the judge’s courtroom that day to explain why federal authorities refused to hold a bail hearing for a detained immigrant as Schiltz had ordered and to explain why ICE had repeatedly violated court orders regarding immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota.
Immigrant, Juan Hugo Tobay RoblesHe was released from custody in Texas on Tuesday, a day after Schiltz was scheduled for a hearing.
“A supporter of Mr. Tobay Robles traveled from Minnesota to Texas and is currently driving him back to Minnesota to reunite with his family and restore his interrupted medical care,” Tobay Robles’ attorney, Graham Ojala-Barbour, said in the court filing.
Ojala-Barbour said that given the federal government’s violation of the judge’s prior order to hold a bond hearing, “a challenge hearing may still be appropriate.”
However, Schiltz said on Monday that he would not request Lyons to appear in court if he was told before Friday’s hearing that Tobay Robles had been released.
“As promised, the Court will cancel the hearing and Lyons will not need to appear,” the judge wrote Wednesday. he said.
“If Juan wants to seek monetary sanctions, he can submit a properly supported motion to that effect,” Schiltz said.
Schiltz also said, “But this does not end the Court’s concerns.” he wrote.
“Attached to this order is an appendix identifying 96 court orders that ICE violated in 74 cases. The extent of ICE’s noncompliance is almost certainly grossly underestimated,” the judge said.
“This list is limited to orders issued since January 1, 2026, and the list was hastily compiled by extraordinarily busy judges. Errors were undoubtedly made and orders that should have been included in this list were omitted.”
When contacted by CNBC, Ojala-Barbour said, “We have reached an agreement with the government to release Mr. Tobay Robles from custody,” but had no further comment.
ICE and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota did not immediately respond to CNBC’s emailed requests for comment.
Schiltz called the decision “an extraordinary step” in his order Monday requesting Lyons be brought to trial.
Federal agents conduct an immigration enforcement action in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on January 27, 2026.
Seth Herald | Reuters
But the judge also said: “This Court has been extremely patient with the defendants, even though they decided to send thousands of agents to Minnesota to detain aliens without making any provision for dealing with hundreds of habeas petitions and other cases that were sure to come to fruition.”
Minneapolis has been swarmed with ICE and other federal agents as the Trump administration tries to round up undocumented immigrants there and elsewhere in the state.
Two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were fatally shot by federal agents during separate shootings this month. These killings sparked a nationwide outcry against the administration’s aggressive enforcement tactics against immigrants.
