ST. PAUL, Minn. — The U.S. Justice Department ended the temporary assignment of a Department of Homeland Security lawyer Wednesday after she told a federal judge in a Minnesota courtroom that “this job sucks” while addressing Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s repeated failures to comply with release orders. The removal came as federal judges intensify scrutiny of ICE noncompliance tied to “Operation Metro Surge,” Feb. 4, 2026.
Justice Department ends ICE attorney’s Minnesota detail
Julie Le, a DHS attorney who previously worked for ICE in immigration court, had been detailed to the U.S. attorney’s office for the District of Minnesota to help handle a surge of immigration detention challenges. The U.S. attorney ended Le’s Justice Department assignment a day after her remarks in Tuesday’s hearing, according to an Associated Press report.
Le appeared before U.S. District Judge Jerry Blackwell after he ordered government lawyers to explain why people remained locked up after judges ordered their release. Le told the court she was handling dozens of cases with little training and said, “What do you want me to do? The system sucks. This job sucks.” She also asked Blackwell to hold her in contempt so she could get “a full 24 hours of sleep,” according to a court transcript.
Le told the judge she had tried to resign from her DHS post but stayed because the agency could not find a replacement, and she described the effort to get responses from ICE as “pulling teeth,” as reported by ABC News. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Le was a probationary attorney and called the comments unprofessional. Le did not respond to requests for comment.
Justice Department faces escalating court pressure over ICE compliance
Blackwell warned that “a court order is not advisory,” and he questioned why some detainees stayed jailed days or weeks after release orders — including cases where people were transferred out of state — even after judges found continued detention unlawful, ABC News reported.
In a Reuters report, a Justice Department spokesperson said the administration is complying with court orders and “fully enforcing federal immigration law,” while blaming the workload on “rogue judges.” Blackwell told government attorneys that heavy caseloads do not excuse missed deadlines, saying some of the strain is “of your own making” when court orders are not followed.
Those warnings have echoed across the district. In late January, Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz cited 96 missed court orders in 74 cases since Jan. 1 and threatened contempt proceedings for acting ICE Director Todd Lyons before canceling the hearing after a detainee was released, Reuters reported. An earlier Associated Press story described Schiltz as a conservative jurist who nonetheless wrote that ICE must follow court orders unless they are overturned, a message that has sharpened the spotlight on the Justice Department’s Minnesota docket.
Blackwell adjourned Tuesday’s hearing saying he would take what he heard under advisement. For the Justice Department, pulling Le off the detail addresses a personnel flashpoint — but judges say the larger question remains whether ICE and the Justice Department can promptly carry out release orders when courts find people were detained without lawful authority.
