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On Wednesday, a federal judge issued a stark warning to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), saying that he would no longer tolerate failure to comply with court orders.
Judge Patrick J. Schiltz, the chief U.S. district judge for the District of Minnesota, had previously issued an order on Monday demanding that ICE acting director Todd Lyons appear in court or risk being held in contempt. The order came after ICE failed to respond to multiple requests from Schiltz and other judges.
ICE finally responded to that order, asking Schiltz for a stay of the demand, which he allowed on a temporary basis. But Schiltz also warned that his patience would only go so far.
In his new midweek order, Schiltz said that he has found at least 96 separate court orders, in 74 different immigration cases, that ICE has failed to abide by since the start of 2026. Schiltz — a conservative jurist appointed by former President George W. Bush — also stated that his tally is “almost certainly substantially understated” due to being “hurriedly compiled by extraordinarily busy judges.”
“ICE has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence,” Schiltz concluded, adding that the list “should give pause to anyone — no matter his or her political beliefs — who cares about the rule of law.”
Schiltz continued:
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.
While the new order places a stay on his previous order’s threat of contempt, Schiltz indicated that he was willing to lift that stay if these problems persist.
ICE and Border Patrol (BP) agents have been documented committing blatantly unethical and likely illegal actions countless times over the past month, including using violent force against Minnesota residents and detaining people with pending asylum cases who have committed no crimes, violating their due process rights. Federal immigration agents in the state have also shot and killed Minneapolis residents Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti. So far in 2026, eight people have died in encounters with ICE agents across the U.S.
Vice President JD Vance recently told federal immigration agents that their actions would never result in criminal charges, explaining that, in the White House’s view, agents have “absolute immunity” — a horrifying assertion that has been disputed by legal experts.
“The idea that a federal agent has absolute immunity for crimes they commit on the job is absolutely ridiculous,” constitutional law professor Michael J.Z. Mannheimer said, speaking to CNN about Vance’s comments earlier this month.
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