US federal judge summons ICE chief, warns of contempt over defiance of court orders

Los Angeles: A US federal judge has ordered Todd Lyons, acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to appear in court on Friday to explain why he should not be held in contempt for failing to comply with multiple judicial orders.

In a January 26 order, Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz of the US District Court for the District of Minnesota wrote that the court’s “patience is at an end” after ICE repeatedly failed to comply with “dozens of court orders” in recent weeks and the agency’s noncompliance had caused “significant hardship” for immigrants.

In the court document, Schiltz said the extraordinary step of summoning the acting ICE director was necessary because lesser measures had failed, Xinhua news agency reported.

The order reflects escalating tensions between federal immigration enforcement and the judiciary amid legal challenges to ICE practices.

Meanwhile, the White House defended the role of federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota and rejected criticism of its response to a fatal weekend shooting in Minneapolis, as President Donald Trump ordered senior officials to press state and local leaders to cooperate with ICE.

Earlier, while addressing a regular White House briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Trump was closely monitoring developments following the shooting of an ICE agent on Saturday and had approved federal emergency disaster declarations for multiple states hit by a severe winter storm, even as he focused on restoring “law and order” in Minnesota.

Leavitt said the administration was reviewing all aspects of the Minneapolis incident, with investigations underway by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, as well as an internal review by Customs and Border Protection. She stressed that the president wanted “to let the investigation continue and let the facts lead in this case.”

The press secretary accused Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of having “actively defied federal immigration law” by blocking cooperation with ICE, arguing that such actions had created “dangerous situations” for federal officers. She said President Trump spoke with Governor Walz earlier in the day and outlined “a clear and simple path to restoring law and order in Minnesota.”

IANS