By Trendsetter Tribune 
Tensions between the courts and the Trump administration are escalating in Minnesota. Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz has ordered ICE acting director Todd Lyons to appear in court personally on Friday to explain why he shouldn’t be held in contempt for ignoring prior orders.
Schiltz, a former clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia, cited “dozens” of violated court orders tied to Operation Metro Surge, noting the failures have caused “significant hardship” to immigrants detained in the crackdown. He warned that the court’s patience has run out and called the step “extraordinary,” but said lesser measures had failed.
The order came amid reports that Ecuadorian immigrant Juan Hugo Tobay Robles, at the center of the case, had been released from detention in Texas. If proper paperwork confirming his release is filed, Lyons may not have to appear.
DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin criticized the ruling, calling Schiltz “another activist judge” and defending ICE’s focus on criminal illegal immigrants. Meanwhile, Minnesota courts remain flooded with habeas petitions and lawsuits from detainees challenging the administration’s actions.
The standoff highlights growing friction between federal immigration enforcement and the judiciary as Operation Metro Surge continues to face legal and public scrutiny.