Chief Minnesota Federal Judge Threatens Criminal Contempt Against ICE and U.S. Attorney Over 200+ Order Violations
In a Feb. 27 order, Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz warned U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen that continued failure to comply with court orders — documented by judges and clerks as at least 97 violations in 66 immigration cases plus 113 additional alleged breaches in other matters — could expose responsible officials to criminal contempt, including fines or imprisonment. Schiltz, who said he was unaware of any other time a federal court repeatedly had to threaten contempt, rebuked Rosen’s Feb. 9 email accusing the court of overstating noncompliance and faulted DOJ’s 3,000‑agent “Operation Metro Surge” deployment for creating litigation the government was unprepared to handle, noting several federal prosecutors have already left over its handling.
đź“Ś Key Facts
- In a Feb. 27 order, Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz warned ICE and U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen that continued noncompliance with court orders could lead to criminal contempt proceedings, including fines or imprisonment of responsible officials.
- Schiltz’s order documented at least 97 violations across 66 immigration cases and identified an additional 113 alleged breaches in other matters — totaling more than 200 alleged order violations.
- The judge wrote he was unaware of any other time in U.S. history a federal court had to threaten contempt “again and again and again” to compel the federal government to obey its orders, underscoring the severity of repeated noncompliance.
- Schiltz said government attorneys had been placed in an “impossible position” after DOJ leadership sent roughly 3,000 ICE agents to Minnesota for Operation Metro Surge without a plan to handle the resulting lawsuits.
- A Feb. 9 email from U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen accused the court of “wildly overstating” ICE’s noncompliance and defended his civil lawyers from public criticism; Schiltz ordered a re-evaluation that confirmed many of the violations.
- Several federal prosecutors have already left their positions citing the Justice Department’s handling of Metro Surge–related cases, and Schiltz’s order is presented alongside a broader pattern of judges accusing the Trump administration of flouting court orders.
đź“° Source Timeline (2)
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- Confirms that in a Feb. 27 order, Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz explicitly warned ICE and U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen that continued noncompliance could lead to criminal contempt, including fines or imprisonment of responsible officials.
- Details that judges and clerks documented at least 97 violations in 66 immigration cases, plus an additional 113 alleged breaches in other matters.
- Quotes directly from Schiltz’s order that he is unaware of any other time in U.S. history a federal court has had to threaten contempt "again and again and again" to force the federal government to obey its orders.
- Reveals a Feb. 9 email from U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen accusing the court of "wildly overstating" ICE’s noncompliance and complaining his civil lawyers didn’t deserve public criticism, and notes Schiltz ordered a re‑evaluation that confirmed many violations.
- Adds Schiltz’s line that government attorneys have been put in an "impossible position" by Rosen and DOJ leadership who sent 3,000 ICE agents to Minnesota for Operation Metro Surge without any plan to handle the lawsuits that would follow.
- Notes that several federal prosecutors have already left over Justice Department handling of Metro Surge–related cases and situates the order in a national pattern of judges accusing the Trump administration of bucking court orders.