Jan. 29 (UPI) — A federal judge in Minnesota dropped his summon for the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to appear in court in an order criticizing the agency’s actions in the state.
U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz previously ordered Todd Lyons, interim ICE chief, to appear in his court on Friday on allegations of contempt of court. The judge said ICE had violated his previous order to either give Ecuadorian detainee Juan Tobay Robles a bond hearing by Jan. 14 or release him for custody.
Schiltz’s order on Wednesday dropped this summons after Robles’ attorney said his client had been released. The attorney, Graham Ojala-Barbour, however, called for “accountability for ICE.”
“Many of my colleagues and the people we represent are also interested in accountability for ICE and knowing that we can still count on the rule of law in Minnesota,” Ojala-Barbour said in a statement published by Politico.
In his order, Schiltz took issue with ICE’s conduct and lack of adherence to court orders amid a surge of immigration action in Minnesota. He cited a list of nearly 100 orders he said the agency has violated in more than 70 cases.
“ICE has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence,” he wrote.
“The Court warns ICE that future noncompliance with court orders may result in future show cause orders requiring the personal appearances of Lyons or other government officials.
“ICE is not a law until itself.”
President Donald Trump has deployed more than 3,000 federal immigration officers from ICE and Customs and Border Protection to Minnesota as part of Operation Metro Surge. The agents have arrested about 3,000 people as part of the operation, including one person who died in ICE custody, Victor Manuel Diaz. Immigration agents fatally shot two others who were protesters — Renee Good and Alex Pretti.