US judge threatens ICE chief with contempt, orders court appearance

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — Federal agents fire munitions toward demonstrators near the site where a man identified as Alex Pretti was fatally shot by federal agents trying to detain him, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 24, 2026.REUTERS/Tim Evans

The chief judge of Minnesota's federal court ordered the acting chief of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to appear in court on Friday to personally explain why that agency has not complied with dozens of court orders in recent weeks.

In a filing late Monday, Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz said acting ICE director Todd Lyons must explain why he should not be held in contempt after his agency missed a deadline to provide a detainee with a bond hearing.

"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."

The Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, was not immediately available for comment on Tuesday.  Schiltz said he will cancel Friday's hearing if the detainee is released.  The judge, who sits in Minneapolis, was appointed to the bench by Republican President George W. Bush. 

Schiltz's order came as protesters complain about ICE's tactics to advance President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

ICE agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in separate enforcement actions in Minneapolis this month.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama // REUTERS)