by
Alex
Kormann/The
Minnesota
Star
Tribune
via
Getty
Images)
Federal
Judge
Patrick
Schiltz
may
have
called
off
the
immediate
showdown
with
Immigration
and
Customs
Enforcement,
but
no
one
should
mistake
that
procedural
pause
for
a
truce.
As
previously
reported,
the
George
W.
Bush–appointed
judge
has
been
increasingly
exasperated
with
the
Trump
administration’s
approach
to
immigration
enforcement
in
Minnesota,
in
particular
ICE’s
apparent
allergy
to
complying
with
court
orders.
In
a
prior
order,
Schiltz
took
the
extraordinary
step
of
ordering
Todd
Lyons,
ICE’s
acting
director,
to
personally
appear
in
court
to
explain
why
the
agency
should
not
be
held
in
contempt.
Because
the
government
finally
released
the
detained
individual
at
the
center
of
the
case,
Schiltz
canceled
the
hearing
that
would
have
required
Lyons
to
appear.
ICE,
at
least
this
time,
blinked.
But
Schiltz
made
very
clear
that
compliance
under
threat
does
not
erase
a
pattern
of
misconduct.
Yesterday,
Schiltz
issued
an
order
—
a
biting
one
at
that
—
that
the
release
of
one
individual
after
the
threat
of
sanctions
“does
not
end
the
Court’s
concerns.”
And
went
on
to
list
some
96!
other
immigration
cases
where
the
government
is
ignoring
court
orders.
“ICE
is
not
a
law
unto
itself.
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,”
Schiltz
wrote.
“This
list
should
give
pause
to
anyone
—
no
matter
his
or
her
political
beliefs
—
who
cares
about
the
rule
of
law,”
he
explained.
Then
came
the
bleakest
assessment
of
what
is
happening
in
the
Minnesota
federal
courts,
“ICE
has
likely
violated
more
court
orders
in
January
2026
than
some
federal
agencies
have
violated
in
their
entire
existence.”
Things
are
pretty
dire
in
Minnesota,
and
Judge
Schiltz
is
ringing
the
rule
of
law
warning
bell.
Earlier:
Bush-Appointed
Federal
Judge
To
ICE:
Comply
With
Court
Courts.
ICE:
You’ve
Got
Us
There!
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
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