Minnesota's top federal judge has summoned the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Todd Lyons, to appear before him on Friday, warning he may be held in contempt for allegedly defying court orders. Chief US District Judge Patrick Schiltz issued a three-page order on Monday evening, declaring that 'the court's patience is at an end'.
The order follows weeks of escalating tensions during 'Operation Metro Surge', the Trump administration's large-scale immigration enforcement campaign in Minneapolis-St Paul. The operation has generated numerous emergency lawsuits from immigrants claiming unlawful arrest or detention, with judges consistently ruling in their favour.
Judge Schiltz, appointed by George W. Bush, accused the administration of deliberately delaying or ignoring judicial directives across Minnesota's federal courts. His order came in the case of a man he had ordered released on 15 January who remained in custody as of Monday night. The judge said the government's non-compliance had caused 'significant hardship' to immigrants, many of whom had lived and worked legally in the United States for years.
Other Minnesota federal judges have voiced similar concerns. US District Judge Michael Davis accused the administration of attempting to 'defy court orders' and 'deny noncitizens their due process rights'. Several judges are now considering broader legal challenges that could significantly restrict federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota or halt Operation Metro Surge entirely.
Judge Schiltz also clashed with the administration last week when federal prosecutors sought his help arresting former CNN anchor Don Lemon and others linked to an anti-ICE church protest. After he declined to overturn a magistrate's denial of arrest warrants, the Justice Department appealed to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, which rejected the request.
