U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) faces significant criticism from a federal judge in Minnesota for allegedly violating nearly 100 court orders within the past month. Minneapolis U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz indicated that this level of noncompliance raises serious concerns about adherence to the rule of law.
In a court filing, Judge Schiltz stated that ICE’s violations in January 2026 surpassed those of many federal agencies throughout their entire histories. He scheduled a hearing for acting ICE Director Todd Lyons to explain these repeated violations but later canceled the hearing after an immigrant, Juan Hugo Tobay Robles, was released from custody.
Schiltz noted that the violations primarily involved “habeas” cases challenging the legality of detention. His strong language included a warning that future noncompliance could lead to personal court appearances by Lyons or other government officials.
The judge criticized ICE’s failure to provide bond hearings, which are mandated by court orders. Ruiz’s lawyer had previously indicated the possibility of pursuing contempt proceedings due to ICE’s lack of compliance with earlier rulings.
Attached to the judge’s order was an appendix listing 96 violated orders in 74 cases since January 1, 2026. Schiltz acknowledged that this compilation might be understated, as it was prepared quickly by busy judges.
Judge Schiltz also expressed frustration over ICE’s deployment of thousands of agents to Minnesota without adequate provisions for addressing the numerous resulting legal challenges. Meanwhile, Minneapolis has seen heightened federal immigration enforcement actions, which have sparked public outcry following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal agents this month.
ICE and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota have not yet responded to media requests for comment regarding the judge’s allegations.
Source: Reported based on publicly available information from www.cnbc.com.
