Judge Threatens To Hold ICE Chief in Contempt Over Minnesota Detentions

A federal judge in Minnesota is ordering the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to appear before him on Friday over allegations his agency has not complied with dozens of orders to hold hearings for people agents have detained.The acting director of ICE, Todd Lyons, must appear in person to explain why he should not be held in contempt for violating a January 14 order related to a petitioner listed as Juan T.R.“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,” Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz said in an order dated on Monday.“The Court’s patience is at an end,” Judge Schiltz added.The judge acknowledges that ordering the head of a federal agency to personally appear is an “extraordinary step” but said ICE’s violation of court orders is “likewise extraordinary” and lesser measures have failed.Petitioner Juan T.R., had not received a bond hearing and remained detained more than a week after he was taken into custody despite a court order demanding he have a hearing within 7 days.Judge Schiltz’s order stipulates that if Juan T.R. is released, the hearing will be canceled and Mr. Lyons will not need to appear.The judge’s order noted that many of the people who have not gotten timely hearings have lawfully lived and worked in America for years and have done “absolutely nothing wrong.”The Department of Homeland Security launched Operation Metro Surge, which Mr. Lyons called “the largest immigration enforcement operation ever,” in December, deploying thousands of federal officers into the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.The surge came after President Trump amplified reports of widespread welfare fraud committed by members of Minnesota’s Somali community.Federal agents have been involved in two fatal shootings in Minneapolis during the operation. The atmosphere in Minneapolis has become increasingly volatile following the death of 37-year-old Alex Pretti over the weekend. His death followed the January 7 killing of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, by an ICE agent.In response to the escalating situation, Mr. Trump on Monday announced he is sending “border czar” Tom Homan to Minnesota to manage the ICE operations on the ground in place of Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino. The president also had a call with Governor Tim Walz on Monday and called it “very good.”Mr. Walz called the conversation “productive.” He said he asked the president to reduce the number of federal agents in Minnesota.A federal judge is considering a request by the state and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul to temporarily halt the immigration operation.United State District Judge Katherine Menendez issued an order after Monday’s hearing asking the federal government’s attorneys to file an additional brief by Wednesday.

Judge Threatens To Hold ICE Chief in Contempt Over Minnesota Detentions

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