❓WHAT HAPPENED: Minnesota’s chief federal judge has summoned U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) acting head to court, threatening contempt for defying orders.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. District Court Judge Patrick Schiltz and ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The order was issued Monday night, with a court appearance set for Friday in Minnesota.
💬KEY QUOTE: “The court’s patience is at an end,” stated Judge Schiltz.
🎯IMPACT: The situation underscores tensions over immigration enforcement and judicial authority in Minnesota.
Minnesota’s top federal judge, U.S. District Court Judge Patrick Schiltz, has ordered Todd Lyons, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to appear in court on Friday. Judge Schiltz is demanding that Lyons respond to allegations that ICE has repeatedly defied judicial orders in the state.
In a three-page order on Monday night, Judge Schiltz expressed his frustration with the agency’s actions during Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration enforcement action in the Twin Cities. The operation has led to numerous lawsuits from immigrants claiming unlawful detention.
The judge claims in his order that the administration has been slow or outright resistant to complying with federal judges’ directives in Minnesota, including his own. He noted the case of an individual he ordered released on January 15, who remained detained as of Monday night.
“The court’s patience is at an end,” Judge Schiltz wrote, continuing, “The practical consequence of respondents’ failure to comply has almost always been significant hardship to aliens (many of whom have lawfully lived and worked in the United States for years and done absolutely nothing wrong). The detention of an alien is extended, or an alien who should remain in Minnesota is flown to Texas, or an alien who has been flown to Texas is released there and told to figure out a way to get home.”
Previously, Judge Schiltz declined to overturn a federal magistrate judge’s decision not to approve federal charges against disgraced journalist and ex-CNN anchor Don Lemon. Notably, Schiltz used the Lemon case as an opportunity to scold the administration over what he believes are unlawful detentions.
Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.