Federal Judge's Threat Pays Off: Immigration Detainee Released from Custody
A Minnesota man, Juan Tobay Robles, was released from immigration detention earlier this week after a federal judge threatened to hold acting ICE Director Todd Lyons in contempt for flouting court orders. The move comes as part of a growing trend of lawsuits and petitions challenging the Trump administration's handling of undocumented immigrants.
Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz ordered Lyons to appear in court on Friday to answer questions about Robles' case, but after being informed that his client had been released from custody, Tobay Robles' attorney Graham Ojala-Barbour said the government would not need to produce the acting director's testimony.
This development marks one of several court orders the Trump administration has failed to comply with in recent weeks. Schiltz stated that the agency's noncompliance is "extraordinary" and warned that his patience is at an end, having grown tired of the government's failure to follow court rules.
The judge had initially planned to hold a hearing on Friday to determine whether Lyons should be held in contempt for violating the January 14 order requiring him to provide Robles with a bond hearing or release him from detention within seven days. However, after receiving word that his client was free, Ojala-Barbour filed a notice stating that Tobay Robles had indeed been released from custody before the scheduled hearing.
The move is seen as a significant victory for immigrant rights advocates, who have long criticized the Trump administration's aggressive deportation tactics. Schiltz stated that the court has taken an "extremely patient" approach, but that the government's failure to comply with orders has resulted in "significant hardship" for those impacted by these policies.
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has faced widespread criticism and protests over immigration operations in Minnesota, where federal agents have been deployed to detain undocumented immigrants. The move comes as part of a broader push by the administration to increase deportations and enforcement actions against those living in the United States without proper documentation.
A Minnesota man, Juan Tobay Robles, was released from immigration detention earlier this week after a federal judge threatened to hold acting ICE Director Todd Lyons in contempt for flouting court orders. The move comes as part of a growing trend of lawsuits and petitions challenging the Trump administration's handling of undocumented immigrants.
Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz ordered Lyons to appear in court on Friday to answer questions about Robles' case, but after being informed that his client had been released from custody, Tobay Robles' attorney Graham Ojala-Barbour said the government would not need to produce the acting director's testimony.
This development marks one of several court orders the Trump administration has failed to comply with in recent weeks. Schiltz stated that the agency's noncompliance is "extraordinary" and warned that his patience is at an end, having grown tired of the government's failure to follow court rules.
The judge had initially planned to hold a hearing on Friday to determine whether Lyons should be held in contempt for violating the January 14 order requiring him to provide Robles with a bond hearing or release him from detention within seven days. However, after receiving word that his client was free, Ojala-Barbour filed a notice stating that Tobay Robles had indeed been released from custody before the scheduled hearing.
The move is seen as a significant victory for immigrant rights advocates, who have long criticized the Trump administration's aggressive deportation tactics. Schiltz stated that the court has taken an "extremely patient" approach, but that the government's failure to comply with orders has resulted in "significant hardship" for those impacted by these policies.
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has faced widespread criticism and protests over immigration operations in Minnesota, where federal agents have been deployed to detain undocumented immigrants. The move comes as part of a broader push by the administration to increase deportations and enforcement actions against those living in the United States without proper documentation.
I think this is super crazy! The feds are like, "we don't wanna follow the court orders" 
and the judge is all, "nope, you're gonna do it my way 
". It's like they thought they could just ignore the law and get away with it. But the thing is, the law is in place for a reason 
, and ignoring it can lead to some serious consequences 
.
. I mean, I'm not gonna lie, I was worried about how this would all play out 
. But now that Tobay Robles is free, it feels like a major win for the people 
. And let's be real, the Trump admin has been super aggressive with these deportation tactics lately 
. It's good to see someone standing up to them 
.
. Will the feds keep ignoring the law? Or are they gonna shape up and follow orders like a normal agency 
? Either way, I hope it's good for the people who were affected by these policies 
Like, have you noticed how convenient it is for Tobay Robles' release to happen right after the judge threatened Lyons? It's almost too perfect. Maybe the government didn't want to face the music and had a plan B in place... like releasing their guy from custody to avoid testifying. 
And let's not forget, this isn't an isolated incident - there have been other court orders that the Trump administration has failed to comply with. It's like they're trying to avoid accountability or something... 
! seriously though, it's about time someone took a stand against those deportation tactics, been hearing about that stuff for ages and it's just plain wrong 
. i mean, how can they just keep messing around with people's lives like this? the fact that they're trying to increase deportations is wild, like what's next, gonna start rounding up ppl at the mall or something? 
! this is exactly what's needed - more court orders being enforced and the gov't being held accountable for their actions 
. it's crazy how much pressure a single judge can put on an agency, but I think it's awesome 
. I've been following all these cases and it's getting harder to ignore the blatant disregard for human rights 
. I'm just so hopeful that this is a turning point for immigration reform - we need more people speaking out against these injustices 
. Still, it's about time we see some accountability from our immigration officials. The whole situation with Juan Tobay Robles just goes to show how messed up our immigration system is 
this is like totally amazing news!!! finally some justice for these ppl who are just trying to live their lives 
, but I'm also low-key worried about what's gonna happen next 
it's all good vibes, though - Juan Tobay Robles is FREE 
I mean, can you imagine being locked up like that? It's crazy how much power these judges have. Like, they're not just reading from a book, they're actually making decisions about people's lives 
. This is what happens when you speak truth to power, right? 
. seriously though, its good to see some progress on the immigration front but still a lot of work to be done 
Immigration reform is finally starting to make some waves! 
The fact that Juan Tobay Robles was released from detention after a federal judge threatened to hold acting ICE Director Todd Lyons in contempt shows us that our system is working (kinda) as intended 
. According to the latest stats, there are over 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the US, and it's estimated that around 75% of them have been here for more than a decade 
. On the other hand, the Trump administration has issued over 2 million deportation notices since 2017 
. As for Todd Lyons, his ICE agency was fined $1.5 million last year for violating court orders... talk about payin' up 
! 
) and now the government has to answer for their actions. I mean, who needs contempt of court charges when you can just release someone because you're told to? 
.
. The fact that this has become such a contentious issue speaks volumes about the state of our country right now 
. It's time for some real change, not just lip service 
.
just saw this news about that MN guy get released from custody after the judge threatened the head of ICE, I'm not surprised but also kinda glad, all these people being locked up without a chance to prove their case is messed up 
. the fact that one guy's release was the thing that made them back down is pretty wild tho... maybe this will be a sign of some change? 