Judge threatens to hold acting ICE director in contempt for flouting court orders
A federal judge in Minnesota on Monday threatened to hold the acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director in contempt for repeatedly ignoring court orders in immigration-related cases.
Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz ordered Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons to appear in court this Friday to answer questions in the case of Juan Tobay Robles, who was arrested by federal immigration agents in Minnesota earlier this month.
Schiltz wants Lyons to explain why Tobay Robles was not given a bond hearing or released from custody within seven days of the judge’s order requiring the Trump administration to grant him that hearing or release him.
“This is one of dozens of court orders that defendants have failed to comply with in recent weeks,” wrote Schiltz, a George W. Bush appointee.
He later added: “The Court’s patience is running out. The Court recognizes that ordering the head of a federal agency to appear personally is an extraordinary measure, but the scale of ICE’s violation of court orders is also extraordinary, and lesser measures have been attempted and failed.”
Schiltz said he will hold a hearing Friday at 1 p.m. in Minneapolis, where Lyons “is expected to appear in person to demonstrate why he should not be held in contempt of court for violating the court’s order of January 14, 2026.”
If the parties file a notice stating that if Tobay Robles has been released before the hearing, the judge said the court will cancel the hearing and not require Lyons to appear.
NBC News has reached out to ICE and Tobay Robles’ attorney for comment.
