Judge cancels ICE director testimony but rips agency’s habitual violation of court orders 

A federal judge in Minnesota on Wednesday canceled testimony scheduled from acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons, but not without sharply rebuking the agency for what he described as a pattern of ignoring court orders in immigration cases. 

Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schlitz, a George W. Bush appointee, had ordered Lyons to appear Friday in his Minneapolis courtroom to explain why ICE should not be held in contempt of court over its handling of detained migrants and repeated failures to comply with judicial directives.

The hearing was part of a case involving Juan Tobay Robles, who had been kept in custody despite a court order requiring either a bond hearing or his release.

But late Tuesday, ICE released Tobay Robles, averting Lyons’s required