A federal judge in Minnesota just threw down a serious gauntlet at the Department of Homeland Security, ordering Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons to personally show up in court this Friday or face possible contempt sanctions for repeatedly ignoring judicial orders. Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz delivered the extraordinary instruction Monday, bluntly declaring that “the court’s patience is at an end,” Politico reports.
The order stems from what judges describe as a string of violations tied to the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota, a campaign that has flooded courts with habeas petitions and legal challenges after ICE and allied federal agents detained large numbers of people without proper due process.
Schiltz said Lyons must appear in person to explain why he should not be held in contempt of court for failing to comply with “dozens” of directives from federal judges, including one requiring ICE to provide a detained immigrant with a bond hearing within seven days of a Jan. 14 order. As of Jan. 23, the detainee remained in custody and had yet to receive that hearing, the judge noted.
“This Court has been extremely patient with respondents, even though respondents decided to send thousands of agents to Minnesota to detain aliens without making any provision for dealing with the hundreds of habeas petitions and other lawsuits that were sure to result,” Schiltz wrote in the order, according to Reuters. “The court’s patience is at an end.”
It’s a rare escalation. Judges don’t often summon the head of a federal agency to explain themselves under threat of contempt. But the backdrop is anything but routine. The federal enforcement push, known as Operation Metro Surge, has brought thousands of ICE and Border Patrol personnel into the Twin Cities, prompting dozens of lawsuits from immigrants alleging unlawful detention, extended custody without hearings, and transfers out of state seemingly designed to dodge judicial oversight.
The looming court confrontation comes as protests over federal immigration tactics have surged, especially after the deaths of two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, in separate encounters with federal agents in Minneapolis earlier this month. Those shootings galvanized local outrage and have been cited by judges and activists alike when criticizing ICE’s operational conduct.
The contempt threat stands in stark contrast to federal claims that the enforcement actions in Minnesota are lawful and necessary. DHS and ICE have not yet publicly responded to the judge’s order, and it remains unclear whether Lyons will comply or whether lawyers for the administration might attempt to block the appearance.
