We had an interesting wrinkle develop in one of the multitude of federal court cases that have sprung up in Minnesota over the past few weeks, as the Trump administration implemented Operation Metro Surge. This one involves a petition for habeas corpus — basically, a way for individuals being detained by the government to challenge their detention.
The short version of what happened is that, on Monday, the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota threatened to hold Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Todd Lyons in contempt if certain conditions weren't met by Friday. One of those conditions (the release of the detainee who filed the petition) was met on Tuesday afternoon, so no, Todd Lyons isn't going to be found in contempt (or even compelled to appear before the court).
Here's a bit more background on the situation:
Juan Tobay Robles, an Ecuadorian national, was detained and placed in ICE custody at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, on January 6, 2026. Tobay Robles filed his petition on January 8, naming Lyons, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, and Acting Director of the St. Paul ICE Field Office David Easterwood as respondents. That same day, the respondents were ordered by Magistrate Judge Douglas Micko to file an answer to the petition by January 12. They did not.
On January 14, Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz partially granted Tobay Roble's petition, determining that he was not subject to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. §1225(b)(2) (regarding aliens seeking admission), but was entitled to a bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. §1226(a) (regarding aliens already present in the country and potentially subject to removal) within seven days, and, if not provided a bond hearing, that he should be released from detention. (The rationale for Schiltz's order was that Tobay Robles was not "seeking admission" to the U.S. as he had been in the country — albeit unlawfully — since 1999.)
The order also required the parties to provide a status update to the court within 10 days. On January 23, Tobay Robles' attorneys informed the court that he was still being held (now in Texas) and had not been given a bond hearing. The government did not file a status update.
So, on January 26, Schiltz entered an Order to Show Cause, which set a hearing for Friday and required Lyons' appearance at the hearing to explain why he shouldn't be held in contempt for violating the January 14 order. But the order also provided:
If, before the hearing, the parties file a stipulation indicating that petitioner has been released from custody, the Court will cancel the hearing and will not require Lyons to appear.
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According to reports, Tobay Robles has since been released from custody. As of this writing, a stipulation indicating his release has not yet been filed, but presumably it will be before too long.
And here's where I'm going to throw in my two cents on the matter as someone who appeared before multiple courts and responded to multiple court orders over the course of almost three decades: While we see plenty of instances of activist judges not giving the administration a fair shake, this one doesn't read like that to me, though others may see it differently. (I've seen several folks on the Right highly critical of the order and the judge, and several folks on the Left gloating over it as though Lyons were being forced to walk the plank.)
In this instance, the administration did fail to respond to/abide by multiple court orders. And Schiltz's Order to Show Cause, while noting that "The Court’s patience is at an end," also acknowledged "that ordering the head of a federal agency to personally appear is an extraordinary step, but the extent of ICE’s violation of court orders is likewise extraordinary, and lesser measures have been tried and failed." Moreover, he acknowledged and empathized with the fact that the U.S. Attorney's Office for the district was struggling to deal with a heavy workload and inadequate resources. Lastly, he gave the administration/Lyons an out, which they appear now to have taken.
Of course, this isn't the end of the inquiry as to Mr. Tobay Robles: There's still the matter of his unlawful presence in the country. The pleading filed by his attorney on the 23rd indicates he was due for a hearing in a Texas immigration court today, and, one would hope, will soon be subject to a formal order of removal. We'll keep an eye out for any updates in that regard.
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