The top federal judge in Minnesota ordered the acting head of ICE, Todd Lyons, to personally appear in Minneapolis court on Friday to explain why he should not be held in contempt of court for his agency repeatedly violating court orders related to immigration enforcement actions.
The three-page order issued late Monday by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz was scathing, accusing federal immigration authorities of failing to comply with “dozens of court orders” in recent weeks, including one issued by the judge mandating a bond hearing for a detained immigrant.
“This Court has been extremely patient with respondents, even though respondents decided to send thousands of agents to Minnesota to detain aliens without making any provision for dealing with the hundreds of habeas petitions and other lawsuits that were sure to result,” Schiltz wrote in the order.
“This Court’s patience is at an end,” Schiltz wrote.
The judge said that the Department of Homeland Security and Lyons’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, which is a division of DHS, “have continually assured the Court that they recognize their obligation to comply with Court orders,” and that they would take steps to honor those orders.
