Judge in Minnesota Says ICE Has Violated Nearly 100 Court Orders (NYT gift subscription)

[LetMyPeopleVote]

Last edited Thu Jan 29, 2026, 09:16 PM - Edit history (1)

A federal judge said ICE had disobeyed more judicial directives this month than “some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence.”

Link to tweet

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/us/politics/judge-minnesota-ice-court-orders.html?unlocked_article_code=1.IFA.Ux3y.oNHkOKPQvI5l&smid=tw-share

The chief federal judge in Minnesota excoriated Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday, saying it had violated nearly 100 court orders stemming from its aggressive crackdown in the state and had disobeyed more judicial directives in January alone than “some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence.”

The extraordinary broadside by the judge, Patrick J. Schiltz, came in a ruling in which he temporarily rescinded an order he had issued on Tuesday, summoning Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE, to appear in front of him to explain why he should not be held in contempt for violating so many orders arising from the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration actions in Minnesota.

While Judge Schiltz, a conservative jurist appointed by President George W. Bush, let Mr. Lyons off the hook for the moment, he cautioned that he might change his mind and order him to appear again to answer questions if ICE continues to violate court orders.

“ICE is not a law unto itself,” the judge wrote. “ICE has every right to challenge the orders of this court, but, like any litigant, ICE must follow those orders unless and until they are overturned or vacated.”

Judge Schiltz attached to his ruling a list of 96 court orders from 74 different immigration cases that ICE has failed to follow since Jan. 1. He noted that his tally was “almost certainly substantially understated” because it had been “hurriedly compiled by extraordinarily busy judges.”

“This list should give pause to anyone — no matter his or her political beliefs — who cares about the rule of law,” Judge Schiltz added.

[republianmushroom]

1. Cour order, so what ?

Court orders mean diddly squat to this administration.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

2. Trump DOJ nearly shut out by judges over cases that 'turn your stomach': expert

trump continues his losing streak in court

Trump DOJ nearly shut out by judges over cases that 'turn your stomach': expert

— #TuckFrump (@realtuckfrumper.bsky.social) 2026-01-29T20:50:35.000Z

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-doj-ice

President Donald Trump's Department of Justice was nearly shut out by judges after a federal judge in Minnesota said ICE has defied 100 different court orders.

Legal expert Lisa Rubin talked about the ongoing cases with MS NOW anchor Katie Tur, who described Judge Patrick J. Schiltz's statement that "ICE is behaving as if ICE itself is the law."

"It's crazy to me to have that said by the chief judge of the District of Minnesota, particularly given his background," Rubin said. "We have said this many times, but when it comes to the lawlessness of this administration, the folks who are calling that out are not all appointees of Democratic presidents. Many of them have conservative legal movement bona fides. That is absolutely true of this particular judge, Patrick Schiltz, and the order in which he related that Katie is not one where he had to say any of that."

Schiltz's comments pointed to a concern and what might happen with Trump's DOJ.

"The question was just, is Todd Lyons going to come to his courtroom on Friday and testify or not?" Rubin said. "And he said, it's no longer necessary. You have told me that you released the person in question. He was supposed to come and explain why the person hadn't been released, and they said, he's been released. We agree the hearing is off. But then he took the opportunity to say, 'I have spoken with the other judges in my district. We have counted between us nearly 100 instances in which ICE has not followed our orders."....

Rubin and MS NOW colleague Fallon Gallagher reviewed 61 cases where immigrants were challenging their detentions, which were decided between Jan. 20 and Jan. 27.

"We found that in all but one case, with judges appointed by both Democrats and Republicans, the immigrants won every single time but one. And in that one outstanding case, the person had a criminal history. But in all of the rest, not only did they have no criminal history, they were arrested in circumstances that turn your stomach," Rubin said.

[Initech]

3. I'm shocked, SHOCKED! Well... not that shocked!

Fuck ICE!

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. Handling of Pretti investigation has some prosecutors on verge of quitting

Last edited Thu Jan 29, 2026, 09:49 PM - Edit history (1)

Federal prosecutors in Minneapolis, frustrated by the response to the shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, have suggested they could resign en masse.

Handling of Pretti investigation has some prosecutors on verge of quitting. Federal prosecutors in Minneapolis, frustrated by the response to the shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, have suggested they could resign en masse. #ICEoffOurStreets
wapo.st/3Z6RCTn

— 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗱 (@photoframd.bsky.social) 2026-01-29T18:26:03.487Z

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/01/29/minneapolis-shootings-prosecutor-resignations

Federal prosecutors in Minneapolis have told U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen, the Trump administration appointee leading the office, that they feel deeply frustrated by the Justice Department’s response to the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti by immigration officers and suggested that they could resign en masse, leaving the office unable to handle its current caseload, according to two officials familiar with the office.

At least one prosecutor in the office’s criminal division has resigned since a meeting this week with Rosen during which the prosecutors aired their concerns, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter that has not been made public.

The threat of further resignations is the latest sign of how the federal judicial system in Minnesota has begun to crack under the strain imposed by the administration’s immigration enforcement surge in the state. On Wednesday, the chief federal district judge in the state wrote that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials had violated 96 court orders since launching the crackdown in Minnesota, dubbed Operation Metro Surge.

“ICE has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence,” Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz wrote.....

The Minnesota U.S. attorney’s office is down to about half of its full staffing level of approximately 70 lawyers. At least some of the resignations occurred in the final months of the Biden administration before President Donald Trump took office.