A federal judge in Minnesota has ordered acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons to personally appear in court this week to explain why he should not be held in contempt for allegedly violating a previous court order.
In an order dated Jan. 26, U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz summoned Lyons to appear Friday at 1 p.m. local time after ICE allegedly failed to comply with a Jan. 14 ruling granting a habeas corpus petition on behalf of a detainee identified as Juan T.R.
Under the Jan. 14 order, the court directed immigration authorities to provide T.R. with a bond hearing within seven days, warning that if no hearing occurred within that timeframe, the detainee was to be “immediately released.” According to the court, T.R.’s attorney notified Schiltz on Jan. 23 that no hearing had been held and that the detainee remained in custody.
The Jan. 26 order calls on Lyons “to show cause why he should not be held in contempt for violating the Court’s January 14, 2026, order.” Schiltz said the court would cancel the hearing if ICE released T.R. prior to Friday afternoon.
“This Court has been extremely patient with respondents, even though respondents decided to send thousands of agents to Minnesota to detain aliens without making any provision for dealing with the hundreds of habeas petitions and other lawsuits that were sure to result,” Schiltz wrote. “The Court’s patience is at an end.”
Schiltz added that he was ordering Lyons’ personal appearance because prior efforts had failed to bring compliance.
“Accordingly, the Court will order Todd Lyons, the Acting Director of ICE, to appear personally before the Court and show cause why he should not be held in contempt of Court,” the judge wrote.
The respondents named in the case include Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Lyons, the Department of Homeland Security, and David Easterwood, acting director of ICE’s St. Paul field office. Schiltz said government officials had previously assured the court that they understood their obligation to comply with judicial orders but that violations had continued.
In the order, Schiltz acknowledged that requiring the acting ICE director to appear personally is “an extraordinary step,” but said that “the extent of ICE’s violation of court orders is likewise extraordinary,” adding that “lesser measures” had been attempted and failed.
The court action comes amid heightened scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota following two fatal shootings earlier this month that have drawn national attention and sparked protests against federal law enforcement.
The first incident occurred Jan. 7, when 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was killed, prompting demonstrations across the state and confrontations between activists and federal agents. The incident drew criticism from Minnesota officials, including Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who questioned federal enforcement tactics.
A second shooting occurred Saturday during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. A Border Patrol agent fatally shot Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ICU nurse.
According to Homeland Security officials, Pretti approached agents while armed with a 9 mm pistol and “violently resisted” when they attempted to disarm him. Pretti’s family and video footage released publicly have disputed the government’s account, raising questions about whether Pretti was holding a firearm at the time he was shot.
On Monday, President Trump announced that longtime border enforcement official Tom Homan would travel to Minneapolis to take charge of Department of Homeland Security efforts following the death of protester Alex Pretti during a confrontation with Border Patrol agents, according to the New York Times.
Federal officials have argued that immigration agents are operating in an increasingly hostile environment, facing resistance from activists and political leaders even as they carry out court-mandated enforcement actions. The contempt proceedings against Lyons are likely to intensify tensions between the judiciary further, the Department of Homeland Security, and federal immigration authorities operating in Minnesota.
The Friday hearing remains scheduled unless ICE releases Juan T.R. before that time.
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This judge is doing this backwards. I thought people were innocent until proven guilty. This judge is making it where you have to prove your your not guilty.