Minnesota judge says ICE violated nearly 100 court orders - MS NOW Reports

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White House Border Czar Tom Homan suggests a possible drawdown in Minnesota. Also, a judge in Minnesota says ICE has violated nearly 100 court orders. MS NOW Reporter David Noriega is in Minneapolis with the latest updates. MS NOW Senior White House Reporter Vaughn Hillyard, MS NOW Senior Legal Reporter Lisa Rubin join with more details. - Aired on 01/29/2026.

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1. Judge in Minnesota Says ICE Has Violated Nearly 100 Court Orders (NYT gift subscription)

A federal judge said ICE had disobeyed more judicial directives this month than “some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence.”

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https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/us/politics/judge-minnesota-ice-court-orders.html?unlocked_article_code=1.IFA.Ux3y.oNHkOKPQvI5l&smid=tw-share

The chief federal judge in Minnesota excoriated Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday, saying it had violated nearly 100 court orders stemming from its aggressive crackdown in the state and had disobeyed more judicial directives in January alone than “some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence.”

The extraordinary broadside by the judge, Patrick J. Schiltz, came in a ruling in which he temporarily rescinded an order he had issued on Tuesday, summoning Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE, to appear in front of him to explain why he should not be held in contempt for violating so many orders arising from the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration actions in Minnesota.

While Judge Schiltz, a conservative jurist appointed by President George W. Bush, let Mr. Lyons off the hook for the moment, he cautioned that he might change his mind and order him to appear again to answer questions if ICE continues to violate court orders.

“ICE is not a law unto itself,” the judge wrote. “ICE has every right to challenge the orders of this court, but, like any litigant, ICE must follow those orders unless and until they are overturned or vacated.”

Judge Schiltz attached to his ruling a list of 96 court orders from 74 different immigration cases that ICE has failed to follow since Jan. 1. He noted that his tally was “almost certainly substantially understated” because it had been “hurriedly compiled by extraordinarily busy judges.”

“This list should give pause to anyone — no matter his or her political beliefs — who cares about the rule of law,” Judge Schiltz added.

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2. ICE had disobeyed more judicial directives this month than "some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence"

Sounds to me that this is one agency that needs some drastic changes, like eliminated and the worst of the worst need to be held to account for ignoring judicial directives...