Federal Judges Are Fed Up: ICE Ignored Court Orders for Years
A growing number of judges across the US have lost patience with the Trump administration's handling of immigration cases, with several federal courts imposing harsh penalties on top officials. Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz of Minnesota's federal district court has taken one of the toughest stands so far, ordering the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to appear before him personally to explain why he shouldn't be held in contempt of court.
The latest move by Schiltz comes after a remarkably straightforward decision handed down earlier this month, where an ICE officer arrested an immigrant man, identified as "Juan T.R.", and sought to detain him under a provision of federal law that is no longer applicable to his case. The Trump administration's justification for detaining Juan falls apart since he arrived in the US around 1999 and therefore doesn't qualify for admission.
Schiltz ordered ICE to either release Juan from detention or provide him with a bond hearing within seven days. However, the original deadline has long passed, and an updated order on January 26 noted that "Juan remains detained" without having received a bail hearing. The chief judge also stated that his court has complied with dozens of other court orders made by the Trump administration in recent weeks but was ignored.
In some cases, ICE extended detention without justification, while in others, it deported aliens to Texas and told them to find their own way back home. This kind of behavior led Schiltz to declare "the Court's patience is at an end," prompting him to order Todd Lyons, the Acting Director of ICE, to appear before his court to explain why he shouldn't be held in contempt.
The situation highlights a broader issue with the Trump administration's incompetence, as stated by Judge Katherine Menendez who ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to explain a letter that indicated using force against a state's citizens would coerce changes in policies. This contradicts the 10th Amendment and could lead to serious consequences.
Several federal judges have come close to accusing Trump's lawyers of lying to them or have seen grand juries refuse to allow cases to proceed due to lack of trust in their claims. However, it is worth noting that some high-ranking judges are largely supportive of Trump, as the Supreme Court recently ruled that he can use presidential powers to commit crimes.
Despite this support, ordinary federal judges may still be hesitant to deal with cases brought by the Justice Department if they don't believe its officials will comply with court orders. The sheer volume of cases – many involving straightforward violations of federal law – means even some high-profile Supreme Court decisions might not intervene in every instance where a federal judge orders someone detained by ICE to be released.
A growing number of judges across the US have lost patience with the Trump administration's handling of immigration cases, with several federal courts imposing harsh penalties on top officials. Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz of Minnesota's federal district court has taken one of the toughest stands so far, ordering the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to appear before him personally to explain why he shouldn't be held in contempt of court.
The latest move by Schiltz comes after a remarkably straightforward decision handed down earlier this month, where an ICE officer arrested an immigrant man, identified as "Juan T.R.", and sought to detain him under a provision of federal law that is no longer applicable to his case. The Trump administration's justification for detaining Juan falls apart since he arrived in the US around 1999 and therefore doesn't qualify for admission.
Schiltz ordered ICE to either release Juan from detention or provide him with a bond hearing within seven days. However, the original deadline has long passed, and an updated order on January 26 noted that "Juan remains detained" without having received a bail hearing. The chief judge also stated that his court has complied with dozens of other court orders made by the Trump administration in recent weeks but was ignored.
In some cases, ICE extended detention without justification, while in others, it deported aliens to Texas and told them to find their own way back home. This kind of behavior led Schiltz to declare "the Court's patience is at an end," prompting him to order Todd Lyons, the Acting Director of ICE, to appear before his court to explain why he shouldn't be held in contempt.
The situation highlights a broader issue with the Trump administration's incompetence, as stated by Judge Katherine Menendez who ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to explain a letter that indicated using force against a state's citizens would coerce changes in policies. This contradicts the 10th Amendment and could lead to serious consequences.
Several federal judges have come close to accusing Trump's lawyers of lying to them or have seen grand juries refuse to allow cases to proceed due to lack of trust in their claims. However, it is worth noting that some high-ranking judges are largely supportive of Trump, as the Supreme Court recently ruled that he can use presidential powers to commit crimes.
Despite this support, ordinary federal judges may still be hesitant to deal with cases brought by the Justice Department if they don't believe its officials will comply with court orders. The sheer volume of cases – many involving straightforward violations of federal law – means even some high-profile Supreme Court decisions might not intervene in every instance where a federal judge orders someone detained by ICE to be released.
can't believe what's going on with ICE! They're basically doing whatever they want and ignoring court orders? Like, come on guys, you're the ones who are supposed to uphold the law 
. I mean, it's not exactly rocket science, folks. Just follow the rules and don't be a bunch of bad apples 
. And what's with all these harsh penalties on top officials? Someone needs to take responsibility for this mess. The fact that judges have to intervene like this is just crazy talk 
. We need some serious accountability here! 
AND LET'S BE REAL, THE SITUATION IS MADE WORSE BY THE FACT THAT ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI IS JUST TRYING TO WEAVE WORDS INTO A BUNCH OF HOOEY. I GUESS SOME JUDGES ARE AFRAID TO SPEAK UP, BUT CHIEF JUDGE SCHILTZ IS PROVING THAT YOU CAN STAND UP TO THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WITHOUT LOSING YOUR JOB! 
. I mean, can you believe they kept this guy in detention for years because he was born like 1999? That's just ridiculous. And now they're saying the judges are fed up with them and are gonna hold their feet to the fire. About time too 
. It's not just Juan T.R.'s case, though - it's like they've been ignoring court orders left and right. I'm surprised more judges haven't lost patience already 
... and what really gets me is that these judges are having to take action because their own lawyers aren't trustworthy 
.
federal judges are fed up with being disrespected by these officials. it's time for some accountability. i mean, what even is the justification for detaining this guy juan t.r.? he showed up in 1999! 
newsflash: he doesn't qualify for admission anymore. so, either release him or give him a bond hearing - take your pick! 
. Someone needs to take action ASAP 
. We just have to keep pushing for accountability and transparency, and I have faith that justice will prevail 
️.
. I'm glad some judges are finally calling them out on it though 
and let's be real, it's not like it's a new thing, this has been going on for years. the only difference is now everyone's paying attention because all these judges are speaking out against it. so yeah, i'm all for these judges taking a stand and holding ICE accountable 
.
this is super concerning, you know? it's like the rule of law just gets thrown out the window whenever it's convenient for the administration 
. if the judiciary can't even trust their own lawyers or administrators to follow court orders, then we're in big trouble 
. it's like the whole system is designed to be exploited by those in power, and that's just not right 
I MEAN, COME ON! JUDGES ARE TRYING TO DO THEIR JOB AND YOU GUYS ARE JUST IGNORING THEM LEFT AND RIGHT?! 
ANOTHER THING, WHY DO WE NEED A CHIEF JUDGE TO COME AND YELL AT ICE HEADS TO GET THEIR ACT TOGETHER?! CAN'T THEY JUST FOLLOW ORDERS LIKE EVERYONE ELSE?! 
I mean, come on! Can you imagine being an immigration officer and getting roasted by judges left and right? "Hey, Todd, why should we hold this guy for 26 years just because he's here now?" 
I don't blame these judges for losing their cool – it's a huge headache trying to navigate all that red tape. And honestly, who needs this kind of stress in their life? 
Can someone just make up their minds already? 
It's like the ultimate bureaucratic whack-a-mole game: order changes, court orders change, and then... wait for it... more order changes! 
The Trump administration's handling of immigration cases is nothing short of disastrous #JusticeForImmigrants #AccountabilityMatters #FedsGottaDoBetter
and I think what's crazy is that even some high-ranking judges are still gonna roll with it because they don't wanna rock the boat 
it's like we need a total overhaul of how these places work 