A federal judge in Minnesota has ordered the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to personally appear in court and explain why he should not be held in contempt, escalating a clash over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations in the Twin Cities.
In a rare and sharply worded directive issued late Monday, Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz instructed ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons to come before the court “and show cause why he should not be held in contempt.”
The order underscores growing frustration from the bench over what Schiltz described as ICE’s repeated failure to comply with judicial release orders tied to Operation Metro Surge, a stepped-up enforcement initiative underway in Minneapolis and St. Paul. According to Politico, the judge stated flatly that “the court’s patience is at an end.”
Schiltz, who was appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush, ordered Lyons to appear in person on Friday to address why ICE did not release a detainee who had been ordered freed on Jan. 15 and instead kept him in custody for weeks afterward.
In his ruling, the judge accused ICE of repeatedly disregarding decisions issued by multiple Minnesota judges, leading to individuals being detained longer than courts authorized or transferred to other states in what he suggested may have been an effort to sidestep judicial oversight.
The administration’s aggressive enforcement posture has triggered a surge of emergency lawsuits from immigrants who allege they are being held unlawfully.
Minnesota federal judges have frequently ruled in favor of those plaintiffs, ordering releases and warning that the practices raise serious due process concerns.
U.S. District Judge Michael Davis, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton, has likewise criticized the administration, accusing it of pushing the legal system “to the breaking point.”
Supporters of the administration counter that judges are overstepping their role, arguing that the courts are being used to block immigration enforcement powers granted by Congress and grounded in the Constitution.
Operation Metro Surge was launched under President Donald Trump as part of a renewed effort to reverse years of weak enforcement and sanctuary-style policies adopted by Democrat-led states and cities.
The legal fight has sharpened amid heightened tensions following the fatal shooting of anti-ICE protester Alex Pretti during a federal operation, an incident critics have cited in calls to shut down enforcement actions altogether.
Several judges are now considering broader lawsuits that could significantly restrict or even suspend ICE activity in Minnesota.
The dispute between Schiltz and the administration has also spilled into related cases.
Earlier this month, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an unusual request from the Justice Department seeking approval for additional arrests connected to a disruptive anti-ICE protest at a St. Paul church.
That demonstration, which interrupted a Christian worship service, drew national attention after former CNN anchor Don Lemon was linked to the protest.
Schiltz denied prosecutors’ emergency request to detain two organizers accused of conspiring to violate civil rights, though he placed them under strict release conditions.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have said enforcement efforts will continue, emphasizing that interference with religious services and intimidation of worshippers will not be tolerated.
The intensifying showdown reflects a broader struggle between the Trump administration’s law-and-order agenda and a judiciary that has shown increasing willingness to intervene in immigration enforcement.
{Matzav.com}
