Minnesota chief federal judge cancels contempt hearing requiring ICE director’s appearance, lambasts agency

Minnesota’s chief federal judge canceled a contempt hearing ordering the Trump administration’s acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to appear in court, while lambasting federal immigration authorities over his concerns about how operations are being carried out in the state.

U.S. Chief District Judge Patrick Schiltz in a Jan. 28 order said his decision to scrap the Friday hearing requiring ICE director Todd Lyons to testify does not change his frustrations over ICE violating court orders for detained immigrants. He attached a memo listing 96 court orders that he alleges ICE violated in 74 immigration cases but said the extent of ICE’s noncompliance is “almost certainly” much higher.

“ICE has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence,” Schiltz wrote.

Schiltz canceled the hearing after ICE fulfilled the court’s requirement to release Juan Hugo Tobay Robles, an Ecuadorian citizen who was previously found unjustly detained earlier this month. Schiltz suggested he may call for contempt hearings in the future if violations continue.

In response, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin repeated the department’s portrayal of Schiltz as an “activist judge” and said the order does not change enforcement operations.

“If DHS’s behavior was so vile, why dismiss the order to appear?” McLaughlin said in a statement. “DHS will continue to enforce the laws of the United States within all applicable constitutional guidelines. We will not be deterred by activists either in the streets or on the bench.”

Schiltz previously acknowledged his summoning of Lyons to personally appear as a highly unusual move, but said the extent of ICE’s violation of “dozens” of court orders prompted the move and prior attempts to remedy the situation have failed.

“I believe the hardships Mr. Tobay Robles has suffered as the result of the government’s violations of this court’s January 14th order are significant, and that they do warrant an individual contempt proceeding,” Ojala-Barbour said.

Schiltz recognized the request for the hearing to continue but said he would not schedule a hearing as of Jan. 28. Schiltz warned that he may call for future hearings requiring government officials to appear in his courtroom if ICE remains noncompliant.