A U.S. District judge ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting Director Todd Lyons to appear in Minnesota federal court "and show cause why he should not be held in contempt."
The extraordinary order, issued late Monday by Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz, reflects mounting judicial frustration with the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement campaign in the Twin Cities known as Operation Metro Surge.
Schiltz warned that ICE has repeatedly ignored or slow-walked court orders directing the release of detainees, declaring bluntly that "the court's patience is at an end," Politico reported.
Schiltz, a George W. Bush appointee, demanded Lyons appear personally in court Friday to explain why ICE failed to release a man ordered freed on Jan. 15 but who remained in custody weeks later.
The judge accused the agency of routinely defying rulings from multiple Minnesota judges, resulting in immigrants being held longer than ordered or transferred out of state in apparent circumvention of court authority.
The administration's enforcement push has generated a flood of emergency lawsuits from immigrants claiming unlawful detention.
Minnesota judges have largely sided with plaintiffs, issuing release orders and warning of what they describe as due process violations.
U.S. District Judge Michael Davis, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, has similarly accused the administration of stretching the legal process "to the breaking point."
Conservatives argue, however, that activist judges are increasingly using the bench to obstruct federal immigration law enforcement authorized by Congress and the Constitution.
Operation Metro Surge was launched as part of President Donald Trump's renewed crackdown on illegal immigration, responding to years of lax enforcement and sanctuary policies embraced by Democrat-led cities and states.
The legal clash has intensified amid heightened political tensions following the fatal shooting of anti-ICE protester Alex Pretti during a federal operation, which critics have seized on to demand an end to enforcement efforts altogether.
Several judges are now weighing broader lawsuits that could sharply curtail or halt ICE operations in Minnesota.
The confrontation between Schiltz and the administration has spilled into other cases as well.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently rejected an unusual Justice Department request to approve additional arrests tied to a disruptive anti-ICE protest at a St. Paul church.
The protest, which interrupted a Christian service, drew national attention after former CNN anchor Don Lemon was linked to the demonstration.
Schiltz denied prosecutors' emergency bid to detain two protest organizers accused of conspiring to violate civil rights, though he imposed strict conditions on their release.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have vowed continued enforcement, stressing that disrupting religious worship and intimidating parishioners will not be tolerated.
The escalating standoff highlights a broader battle between the Trump administration's law-and-order agenda and a judiciary increasingly willing to intervene.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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