Tonight in Your Rights: 'ICE is not a law unto itself'
ICE Director Todd Lyons escapes a contempt hearing by belatedly obeying a court order, but a judge rebuked his agency.
Count this among the growing pile of strategic retreats of Donald Trump’s government in Minneapolis, Minn.
On Wednesday, Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons released an Ecuadorian citizen known in court records as Juan T.R. from immigration detention to avoid a contempt hearing previously scheduled for Friday.
Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz, a George W. Bush appointee, cancelled the hearing upon learning about ICE’s belated compliance with his order, but he warned that a growing pile of at least 74 violations could land Lyons right back in his court.
“The extent of ICE’s noncompliance is almost certainly substantially understated,” Schiltz wrote, sharing a list of 94 court orders that relate to those violations.
“This list should give pause to anyone—no matter his or her political beliefs—who cares about the rule of law,” wrote Schiltz, a former law clerk for Antonin Scalia. “ICE has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence.”
The judge warned that future violations could also lead to contempt hearings.
“ICE is not a law unto itself,” Schiltz wrote. “ICE has every right to challenge the orders of this Court, but, like any litigant, ICE must follow those orders unless and until they are overturned or vacated.”
Schiltz invited Juan T.R. to file a motion seeking monetary sanctions.
The immigrant’s attorney Graham Ojala-Barbour did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Read Judge Schiltz’s order here.
Tonight’s legal roundup is a testament to the effectiveness of public and legal pressure in Minnesota.
Below the Paywall:
Alex Pretti’s killers are on administrative leave. A whistleblower who exposed Uyghur internment camps is granted asylum, and a federal judge bars the arrest and detention of 5,600 refugees awaiting permanent status.
