Acting ICE director must appear in court over failure to reply to court orders
The chief judge in Minnesota has ordered acting ICE Director Todd Lyons to appear in person on Friday to answer to why the agency has not complied to the dozens of orders that courts in Minneapolis have ordered, according to an overnight court filing.
"The Court’s patience is at an end,” Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz wrote. “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.”

Schlitz wrote that it is "extraordinary" to order the head of a federal agency appear before a court, "but the extent of ICE’s violation of court orders is likewise extraordinary, and lesser measures have been tried and failed."
The chief judge’s order comes after the federal government failed to provide a bond hearing for a detained immigrant, defying a prior court order.
On Jan. 14, the court granted a man's habeas petition and ordered that ICE either provide a bond hearing or release him. Nearly 10 days later, attorneys informed the court that he remained in custody without a hearing.
"This is one of dozens of court orders with which respondents have failed to comply in recent weeks," Schiltz wrote. "The practical consequence of respondents’ failure to comply has almost always been significant hardship to aliens -- many of whom have lawfully lived and worked in the United States for years and done absolutely nothing wrong."
The Chief Judge noted that some immigrants detained in Minnesota -- who were supposed to remain in the state -- were instead flown to Texas. According to the judge, some of those released were told to "figure out a way to get home" on their own.
-ABC News’ Luke Barr and Laura Romero




