The top federal judge in Minnesota has criticized the Trump administration for not following orders to conduct hearings for detained immigrants. Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz has summoned Todd Lyons, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to appear in court to explain why he should not be held in contempt.
Schiltz’s order, issued on Monday, highlighted the administration’s failure to address bond hearings for detained immigrants amid a surge of agents detaining aliens in Minnesota. This directive came after U.S. President Donald Trump assigned border czar Tom Homan to lead the immigration crackdown in Minnesota following the recent death of an individual at the hands of an immigration officer.
In response to the situation, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz emphasized the need for unbiased investigations into the shootings involving federal officers. Walz, along with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Brian O’Hara, engaged in discussions with Homan and expressed their commitment to ongoing dialogue.
The Trump administration had initially blamed Democratic leaders for protests against federal immigration raids. However, following the controversial death of Alex Pretti at the hands of a Border Patrol officer, Homan was appointed to oversee operations in Minnesota, replacing Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino.
Recent reports indicate continued activity by immigration agents in the Twin Cities area, although it remains uncertain if there have been operational changes post the White House’s shift in approach. Demonstrating a potential shift, there have been sightings of immigration agents in various neighborhoods, including those where recent fatalities occurred.
Schiltz’s order coincided with a federal court hearing on a plea by the state and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul to halt the immigration enforcement surge. The judge acknowledged the extraordinary nature of summoning a federal agency head to court, citing ICE’s repeated violations of court orders as the basis for the exceptional measure.
The court order specified a petitioner, identified as Juan T.R., who was granted a bond hearing within seven days but remained detained as of the latest update. The petitioner, a citizen of Ecuador who arrived in the U.S. around 1999, awaits his hearing status to determine Lyons’s court appearance.
Efforts to obtain a response from ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding the order were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.