A federal judge in Minnesota has ordered the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to appear in court to explain why he should not be held in contempt for allegedly violating earlier court orders related to immigrant detentions.
Judge Patrick Schiltz of the U.S. District Court issued a brief three-page order Tuesday, citing what he described as “dozens” of court orders the Trump administration failed to follow in recent weeks. Schiltz noted that the enforcement operations, known as Operation Metro Surge, have caused “significant hardship” to immigrants detained in Minnesota.
“The court’s patience is at an end,” Schiltz wrote, adding that federal officials had not made arrangements to address hundreds of habeas petitions and other legal filings likely to result from the surge of detentions.
The order directs Todd Lyons, acting ICE director, to appear personally on Friday to justify why he should not be held in contempt of court. However, Schiltz noted that Lyons may be excused if documentation is filed proving that certain detainees, including Juan Hugo Tobay Robles, have been released. Tobay Robles, an Ecuadorian man who entered the U.S. illegally as a minor in 1999, was recently released from custody in Texas, though no official paperwork has yet been filed with the court.
Schiltz emphasized that the court only takes the extraordinary step of ordering the head of a federal agency to appear because prior, lesser measures had failed to ensure compliance with judicial orders.
The directive comes amid heightened tensions over immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities. Hundreds of federal immigration agents were deployed as part of Operation Metro Surge to detain individuals who entered the country illegally, drawing criticism from local officials and immigrant advocates.
Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, sharply criticized the judge, calling him “another activist judge” and arguing that Lyons’ time should be focused on detaining “criminal illegal aliens.” She said the administration would not allow judicial proceedings to impede its operations.
Schiltz, appointed by former President George W. Bush, has a history of overseeing high-profile cases, including work as a clerk for the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. In a separate case last week, he challenged the Justice Department’s request to compel arrest warrants for five people involved in an anti-ICE protest at a St. Paul church, highlighting the court’s scrutiny of the administration’s enforcement tactics.
Lawyers for Tobay Robles had informed the court that he had not received a bond hearing within the seven-day window mandated by Schiltz, as required under federal law. The ongoing backlog in Minnesota courts has been exacerbated by the surge of detentions and legal challenges.
The case underscores the growing legal tensions between federal immigration authorities and the courts in Minnesota. It remains unclear whether Lyons will ultimately appear in person, though the judge’s order signals the judiciary’s willingness to hold top officials accountable for noncompliance.
