Federal Courts Are Fed Up with Trump's Immigration Policy: Judge Orders ICE Official to Appear Before Him to Explain Why He Won't Comply with Court Order
The chief judge of Minnesota's federal district court, Patrick Schiltz, has taken a bold step in his latest order, commanding the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to appear personally before him to explain why he won't comply with a court order. The unusual request comes after Schiltz issued an order in January seeking to enforce a straightforward decision he had handed down earlier that month.
The case centers around Juan T.R., an immigrant man who was arrested by ICE and sought to be detained under a provision of federal law that requires detention "in the case of an alien who is an applicant for admission." However, Schiltz's original order noted that Juan arrived in the US in 1999 and therefore does not meet the criteria for detention under this provision. As such, Schiltz ordered ICE to either provide Juan with a bond hearing within seven days or to immediately release him from detention.
Despite the clear instructions, ICE has failed to comply with the court order, prompting Schiltz to issue his latest directive. The judge's second order, dated January 26, noted that Juan remains detained and has not received a bond hearing, while also warning that the Trump administration has "failed to comply in recent weeks" with dozens of court orders.
Schiltz's move is just one example of how federal courts are growing increasingly frustrated with the Trump administration's immigration policy. The judge's order also highlighted the incompetence of the Department of Justice and ICE, citing instances where the administration has extended detention without justification and flown immigrants to Texas only to release them there with instructions on how to get home.
The chief judge's warning is not an isolated incident. Several other judges have threatened sanctions or harsh consequences against Trump administration officials for their failure to comply with court orders. In one notable case, a Trump-appointed judge in Richmond, Virginia, threatened to disbar Lindsey Halligan, a Justice Department lawyer who had falsely claimed to be the US attorney in eastern Virginia.
The trend of judges questioning the integrity of the Trump administration's lawyers is not limited to immigration cases. Grand juries have begun to doubt the department's claims, refusing to allow seven criminal cases to move forward in Washington, DC, last September. By contrast, in 2016, federal prosecutors initiated over 155,000 criminal matters, with grand juries only refusing an indictment in six of those cases.
While it remains to be seen how much this will impact the Trump administration's ability to process thousands of federal court cases, one thing is clear: the courts are losing patience with the Trump administration's incompetence.
The chief judge of Minnesota's federal district court, Patrick Schiltz, has taken a bold step in his latest order, commanding the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to appear personally before him to explain why he won't comply with a court order. The unusual request comes after Schiltz issued an order in January seeking to enforce a straightforward decision he had handed down earlier that month.
The case centers around Juan T.R., an immigrant man who was arrested by ICE and sought to be detained under a provision of federal law that requires detention "in the case of an alien who is an applicant for admission." However, Schiltz's original order noted that Juan arrived in the US in 1999 and therefore does not meet the criteria for detention under this provision. As such, Schiltz ordered ICE to either provide Juan with a bond hearing within seven days or to immediately release him from detention.
Despite the clear instructions, ICE has failed to comply with the court order, prompting Schiltz to issue his latest directive. The judge's second order, dated January 26, noted that Juan remains detained and has not received a bond hearing, while also warning that the Trump administration has "failed to comply in recent weeks" with dozens of court orders.
Schiltz's move is just one example of how federal courts are growing increasingly frustrated with the Trump administration's immigration policy. The judge's order also highlighted the incompetence of the Department of Justice and ICE, citing instances where the administration has extended detention without justification and flown immigrants to Texas only to release them there with instructions on how to get home.
The chief judge's warning is not an isolated incident. Several other judges have threatened sanctions or harsh consequences against Trump administration officials for their failure to comply with court orders. In one notable case, a Trump-appointed judge in Richmond, Virginia, threatened to disbar Lindsey Halligan, a Justice Department lawyer who had falsely claimed to be the US attorney in eastern Virginia.
The trend of judges questioning the integrity of the Trump administration's lawyers is not limited to immigration cases. Grand juries have begun to doubt the department's claims, refusing to allow seven criminal cases to move forward in Washington, DC, last September. By contrast, in 2016, federal prosecutors initiated over 155,000 criminal matters, with grand juries only refusing an indictment in six of those cases.
While it remains to be seen how much this will impact the Trump administration's ability to process thousands of federal court cases, one thing is clear: the courts are losing patience with the Trump administration's incompetence.
I'm so done with the Trump admin's immigration policy 
! It's like they think the law doesn't apply to them or something 
. I mean, come on, if you're a judge and you tell someone to comply with a court order, don't just ignore it like nothing happened 
Detaining people who don't even qualify for detention in the first place? It's like they're playing some kind of cruel joke on immigrants 
. And don't even get me started on the whole thing with Juan T.R. - that guy was clearly released because he didn't meet the criteria, but ICE just kept him locked up anyway 
.
. Judges are right to be frustrated with the lack of compliance from Trump officials, especially when it comes to something as simple as following court orders 
.
this is getting out of hand... i mean, i get that judges are frustrated but like, can't they just follow orders? 
and yeah, trump's immigration policy is a mess, no need to sugarcoat it 
I'm literally shook by this news 
. I mean, come on, a judge has to order an ICE official to show up in court to explain why they're not following orders? It's like they're trying to stonewall the system or something 
. I'm loving all these judges calling out the DOJ and ICE for their failures, though 
What happened to the rule of law, you know? 
. I mean, I get it, the judge is frustrated and all, but can't they just do what they're told? It's not like they're asking for much - just follow the law and let this dude out of detention 
. It's like, we're all trying to follow the law here, but Trump's policies are creating this mess 
. I just hope they sort out this detention business before it gets any worse 
. The fact that multiple judges are now publicly rebuking the administration and threatening sanctions suggests that this isn't an isolated incident 
. We need to see concrete action taken by Congress to address these issues and ensure that the courts are able to function independently and impartially 
And what does it say about the Trump admin's immigration policy that they're not even following court orders?! 
I mean, how many times can you ignore a judge's order before someone gets held accountable?