In a striking move, a federal judge in Minnesota has called upon the leadership of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to address the agency’s repeated non-compliance with numerous court orders in the state. Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz has expressed his frustration at the agency’s actions, making it clear that his patience has worn thin.

Judge Schiltz issued a three-page order demanding the presence of acting ICE Director Todd Lyons in a Minneapolis courtroom this Friday. Lyons is required to appear in person and explain why he should not be held in contempt of court for ICE’s apparent disregard for judicial directives.

The tension follows the Trump administration’s recent launch of Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, a campaign aimed at apprehending what they describe as “the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens.” This initiative has seen ICE agents maintaining a significant presence in urban areas like Minneapolis. However, local residents and advocates argue that ICE has overstepped its authority, engaging in practices that include racial profiling, unwarranted detentions, and violations of due process.

These actions have prompted a series of emergency lawsuits against ICE and its overseeing body, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). One notable case involves Juan Robles, a detainee who, on January 8, filed for a writ of habeas corpus to challenge the legality of his detention. Judge Schiltz subsequently ordered ICE to provide Robles with a bond hearing within a week or release him, yet Robles received neither, according to the judge.

According to the chief judge, the detained man was granted neither.

“This is one of dozens of court orders with which respondents have failed to comply in recent weeks,” the George W. Bush appointee 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 detention of an alien is extended, or an alien who should remain in Minnesota is flown to Texas, or an alien who has been flown to Texas is released there and told to figure out a way to get home.”

Schiltz then chastised the administration overall, suggesting poor planning has led to the legal chaos surrounding the operation, which has been amplified to international attention after two protesters — Renee Good and Alex Pretti — were shot and killed by ICE agents despite posing no apparent threat, based on videos of the incidents.

“This Court has been extremely patient with respondents, even though respondents decided to send thousands of agents to Minnesota to detain aliens without making any provision for dealing with the hundreds of habeas petitions and other lawsuits that were sure to result,” he wrote. “Respondents have continually assured the Court that they recognize their obligation to comply with Court orders, and that they have taken steps to ensure that those orders will be honored going forward. Unfortunately, though, the violations continue.”

Schiltz acknowledged that commanding the head of a federal agency to personally appear before him 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.”

On Monday, a different federal judge in Minnesota considered whether the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown is an unconstitutional attempt at bullying state and local officials into acquiescing with President Donald Trump’s policy preferences. Responding to the state’s lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order immediately blocking Operation Metro Surge, U.S. District Judge Katherine M. Menendez appeared skeptical both of the federal government’s reason for sending thousands of federal troops into the city and her own authority to curb the campaign.

The deaths of Good and Pretti have been followed by calls for ICE to leave the state and, in some cases, to be abolished altogether.