'The Court’s Patience Is At An End': Judge Takes 'Extraordinary Step' Against Acting ICE Chief
Marita Vlachou
Tue, January 27, 2026 at 4:22 PM UTC
2 min read
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Patrick Schiltz, Minnesota’s chief federal judge, on Monday ordered Todd Lyons, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to appear personally before the court Friday, acknowledging that the order marked an “extraordinary step.”
The order stems from the case of a man who has been in immigration detention since he was arrested earlier this month. Schiltz noted that on Jan. 14 the court told the Trump administration to provide the man with a bond hearing within seven days, noting that if they didn’t meet that deadline, the man would have to be immediately released. The judge said the administration did neither of those things and the man remains in custody as of Monday evening.
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“This is one of dozens of court orders with which respondents have failed tocomply in recent weeks,” Schiltz wrote in his brief order.
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The judge noted that the court has been “extremely patient” with the administration, even though it launched its immigration enforcement operation in the state without making any provisions for the hundreds of lawsuits that would inevitably arise as a result.
Schiltz, an appointee of former Republican President George W. Bush, went on to condemn the administration for failing to follow through on its pledges to obey judicial orders and take the steps required to do so.
“The Court’s patience is at an end,” he warned. “Accordingly, the Court will order Todd Lyons, the Acting Director of ICE, to appear personally before the Court and show cause why he should not be held in contempt of Court.”
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“The Court acknowledges that ordering the head of a federal agency to personally appear is an extraordinary step, but the extent of ICE’s violation of court orders is likewise extraordinary, and lesser measures have been tried and failed,” he added.
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However, Schiltz made clear that if the court gets notified that the man has been released from custody, Lyons will no longer be required to appear in court and the Friday hearing will be canceled.
This is not the first time Schiltz has chastised the administration. Last week, Schiltz ripped the Justice Department over the approach it took to bring charges against former CNN anchor Don Lemon and four others in connection with an anti-ICE protest in St. Paul.
Schiltz declined to reverse a lower court’s ruling rejecting DOJ’s demand, but the department chose to further escalate the matter, urging the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals to order Schiltz to act. The court declined to do so.