Web Desk (MNN); A federal judge in Minnesota on Tuesday ordered the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to appear in court on Friday to explain why he should not be held in contempt for failing to comply with multiple court orders in recent weeks.
Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz delivered the extraordinary order late Monday, saying ICE had repeatedly missed deadlines, including one requiring a detainee to be provided a bond hearing. The judge said the agency’s noncompliance had stretched the court’s patience and could not be tolerated any longer. “This court has been extremely patient with respondents,” Schiltz wrote, adding that ICE sent thousands of agents to Minnesota without preparing for the resulting legal challenges.
Schiltz said he would cancel the Friday hearing if the detainee in question is released before then. The court’s order stems from a case in which the judge had previously ordered a bond hearing for an immigrant but the deadline passed without action.
The move comes amid rising public protests in Minnesota against ICE tactics used to enforce President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, particularly under an operation known as “Operation Metro Surge” that has seen thousands of arrests.
The judge’s frustration is reflected in his warning that lesser measures have failed and that the agency must personally explain its failure to follow judicial directives. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not immediately comment.
The case has drawn national attention as federal courts are flooded with habeas petitions and other legal challenges by immigrants who say they are being detained without due process.
