How long can ICE keep ignoring federal courts?

Federal agents on Nicollet Avenue in South Minneapolis after Alex Pretti was fatally shot by federal agents in the area early Saturday morning, January 24, 2026. | Richard Tsong-Taatarii/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images

The chief judge of Minnesota’s federal district court, a George W. Bush appointee who clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia, just issued a remarkable order commanding the head of ICE to appear personally before him to explain why he should not be held in contempt of court.