A Minnesota judge has summoned acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons to appear in court on Friday to explain why he should not be held in contempt for allegedly violating a previous order.

A habeas petition on behalf of a detainee, identified in the order as Juan T.R., was granted on Jan. 14, 2026. The judge ordered the respondents to hold a bond hearing for T.R. within seven days, warning that if no hearing was held within that timeframe, the detainee was to be “immediately released.” The new order, which is dated Jan. 26, states that on Jan. 23 T.R.’s counsel notified the court that a hearing had not been held and that he remained in custody.

The new order, which was issued on Monday, calls on Lyons to appear in court on Friday at 1:00 p.m. local time “to show cause why he should not be held in contempt for violating the Court’s January 14, 2026, order.” However, Judge Patrick J. Schiltz said the court would call off the hearing if ICE released T.R. ahead of Friday afternoon.

“Judge Patrick J. Schiltz is just another activist judge who is clearly more concerned about politics than the safety of the Minnesotans,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital. “Does this judge really think Director Lyons should take time out of his day leading ICE to target the worst of the worst criminal illegals including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and terrorists into our country to testify at a hearing for one illegal alien’s removal proceedings?”

FORMER ICE AGENT CALLS POLICE NON-COOPERATION ‘FORMULA FOR DISASTER’ AFTER SECOND MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTING DEATH

“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,” Schiltz wrote. “The Court’s patience is at an end. Accordingly, the Court will order Todd Lyons, the Acting Director of ICE, to appear personally before the Court and show cause why he should not be held in contempt of Court.”

Schiltz claimed that the respondents — DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Lyons, DHS and acting director of ICE’s St. Paul office, David Easterwood — have said that they have assured the Court that they understand their obligation to comply with Court orders. However, the judge added that despite the assurances, violations have continued.

In the order, Schiltz acknowledges that ordering Lyons “to personally appear is an extraordinary step,” but said that “the extent of ICE’s violation of court orders is likewise extraordinary.” The judge also claimed that “lesser measures” had been tried and failed.

Fox News has learned that Schiltz and his wife, Elizabeth, appeared on a 2019 list of donors and volunteers for the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, which provides free legal advice for illegal immigrants.

DHS SAYS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SOUGHT AMID PRETTI SHOOTING HAD VIOLENT DOMESTIC HISTORY

Federal immigration enforcement authorities have been under increasing pressure in Minnesota following two fatal shootings this month. The first shooting occurred on Jan. 7 and left 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good dead. This sparked a wave of demonstrations, with agitators confronting federal law enforcement throughout Minnesota. It also drew the scrutiny of Minnesota leaders, including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, among others.

On Saturday, a Border Patrol agent fatally shot Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ICU nurse. Pretti was shot during an immigration enforcement operation targeting Jose Huerta-Chuma, an illegal immigrant with a criminal history including domestic assault for intentional conflict bodily harm, disorderly conduct and driving without a valid license.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Homeland Security officials said Pretti approached Border Patrol agents while armed with a 9 mm pistol and “violently resisted” when they attempted to disarm him. Pretti’s family disputed the Trump administration’s assertion that he was holding a firearm.

“The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting,” the family wrote in a statement obtained by The Associated Press. “Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper sprayed. Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.”

Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment.

The Associated Press and Fox News’ David Spunt contributed to this report.

DETROIT – We’re roughly halfway through the 2025-26 school year, and many Metro Detroit school districts have already run out of snow days.

—> Will Metro Detroit schools be closed on Friday? How dangerous cold could affect decision

Schools typically cancel classes due to weather like snow or extreme cold, but closures have also happened because of flooding, tornadoes and even extreme heat in rare cases.

In Michigan, districts are allowed to miss up to six days for weather or other uncontrollable events without penalty.

Deciding whether to close schools is a complex process that can take hours. It involves phone calls between superintendents and officials, sometimes spanning multiple counties. For example, Northville Public Schools coordinates with officials in both Wayne and Oakland counties.

Districts can choose to stay open and avoid using a snow day, but this carries safety and financial risks.

If attendance drops below 75%, districts lose funding for those days — sometimes amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars — which can be difficult for many districts to absorb.

With half the school year complete, what options do Metro Detroit districts have if they’ve exhausted their snow days?

Typically, if the district goes beyond six days, they extend the school year by adding more days in June.

Less commonly, they can request state “forgiveness” for extra missed days. Michigan has occasionally forgiven additional days without cutting funding if the district only exceeded the limit by a day or two.

The state superintendent has the authority to approve up to three additional days if closures are made due to unusual or unforeseen situations.

Some districts have also built buffer days into their calendars by starting school before Labor Day or adding extra hours and days, preparing for more than six closures.

School closures are never taken lightly. Safety is the primary reason for closing schools, considering factors like new teen drivers, students walking to school or bus stops, and families who may lack adequate winter clothing.

—> You can track school closings in SE Michigan right here.

You can also track the latest weather alerts, radar, and video forecasts from our weather team with the totally free 4Warn weather app. Just search WDIV in your app store.

Download here: Apple Store Download here: Google Play Store