Midwest

Judge threatens contempt for ICE leader, orders him to appear in court

Published

4 weeks ago

January 29, 2026

Judge threatens contempt for ICE leader, orders him to appear in court

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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

Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons speaks at a press conference at the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse on June 2, 2025. (Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

“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.

A protester confronts a Homeland Security officer during a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following a fatal shooting by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 11. (Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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.

Large crowds flood Minneapolis to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after the Alex Jeffrey Pretti shooting. (Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

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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.

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.

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Illinois

Takeaways: Michigan basketball ends Illinois streak, wins Big Ten

Published

23 minutes ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Takeaways: Michigan basketball ends Illinois streak, wins Big Ten

Michigan basketball entered Friday having lost nine straight games to Illinois. With the sole regular-season matchup coming in Champaign against the KenPom No. 4 Illini, it was going to be a tall task for the Wolverines to end that streak.

The game matched up the nation’s No. 2 defense against the No. 1 offense, and in front of a raucous Orange Krush, the maize and blue took a little while to get into an offensive rhythm. Because the No. 5 offense is no slouch, especially against the No. 31 defense. What’s more, Morez Johnson Jr. returned to Champaign after spending his first year with Illinois.

However, the Illini certainly showed how much Michigan appears to be their rival, and really played a physical brand of basketball. After Illinois got a five-point lead, the Wolverines bounced back and got a six-point lead. Illinois had a slight advantage in the first half on the boards, but the Wolverines had a field goal advantage. Both teams were relatively even on turnovers.

Ultimately, Michigan ended up taking a seven-point lead into the locker room at halftime, but backup point guard LJ Cason appeared to have hurt his knee on the final score of the half.

The second half started with a Michigan layup and an Illinois 3. The next round of scoring went exactly the same way. But then Yaxel Lendeborg hit a 3 to stop the asymmetry. They traded baskets, but then after a few Illinois turnovers, the Wolverines pushed the lead to 10.

Cason returned to the game after the under-16 media timeout, providing (temporary) good news for the maize and blue (he would leave the game again shortly). But the Wolverines missed a few shots, and Illinois took advantage, getting a shot from the field by Mirkovic before Wagler hit a 3 to cut the lead to five, prompting a Michigan timeout with 13:09 remaining.

Illinois cut Michigan’s lead back down to six, but Yaxel Lendeborg stretched it back to nine with a layup-and-one. Then Aday Mara started taking over.

Mara was unguardable, scoring floaters, dunks, and putbacks. His quick 7 points put the Wolverines up to a game-high of 14 with 9:13 remaining. The Illini answered to end the nearly three-minute field goal drought, ending Michigan’s 7-0 scoring run. But the Wolverine defense held, and Trey McKenney finally hit his first (of three) 3-point attempts to push the lead to 15, and he hit again on the next trip, pushing the lead to 18 with 7:34 left in the game. It was a 13-2 scoring run for the maize and blue.

After an Illinois timeout, they missed again, and Will Tschetter got in on the contagious, 3-pointer action, pushing the lead to 21. Cadeau finally broke the makes from deep, and Wagler hit to cut the lead back to 18 with 5:41 remaining.

Illinois couldn’t mount a comeback, and Michigan won, 84-70. Here are our five takeaways.

Homecoming for Morez Johnson Jr.

An Illinois native who spent his first year with the Illini, the Orange Krush did as much as it could to make it uncomfortable for the outgoing transfer. However, it wasn’t the case, as Johnson was often the best player on the floor.

He was the only Michigan basketball player in double digits at halftime, with 13 points, five rebounds, and a steal, and he was something of an energizer bunny out on the floor for the Wolverines. There were no qualms for Johnson returning to his old stomping ground, as he played one of his best games in a maize and blue uniform.

Johnson was quiet in the second half, but the damage was done, and it makes his former teammate’s pregame comments more prescient:

What could have been.

Johnson finished with a double-double, scoring 19 points and netting 11 rebounds.

Michigan’s offense outplays Illinois’ offense

As noted, the Illini entered the game with the No. 1 overall offense, while the Wolverines were No. 5. Yet, when the rubber hit the road, it was the maize and blue who had the superior offensive attack, managing to shoot 52.5% overall and 60% in the second half. Illinois managed 41.3% and 43.3% respectively.

The Michigan defense forced Illinois to go through a series of uncomfortable stretches in the second half, with multiple three-minute droughts from the floor. And Illinois, which is accustomed to getting to the foul line, couldn’t seem to draw many fouls until relatively late in the game. Even when the Illini forced three Wolverine turnovers late, they couldn’t seem to take advantage.

Ultimately, Michigan was dominant on both ends of the floor.

Bench, fastbreak, and points in the paint

The Wolverines dominated all three categories, finishing the game with 20 bench points, 10 fastbreak points, and 42 points in the paint. We already discussed Johnson and his homecoming, but we cannot leave out Aday Mara, who was just such a mismatch for Michigan vs. the Illini. As noted, Mara really flexed late in the game, taking it over. He was the catalyst for most of these stats.

Meanwhile, Illinois only had 7 bench points, 1 fastbreak point, and was just behind Michigan with 32 points in the paint.

The streak was emphatically broken

As we said in the open, the Illini had beaten the Wolverines nine straight times. Even the Fab Five couldn’t beat Illinois in Champaign, as the maize and blue have historically struggled at State Farm Arena. Though it took some time for the Wolverines to flex, flex they did, and this was as emphatic of a win as Michigan had all season.

The final score may have been just a 14-point gulf, but honestly, the game wasn’t really that close (and it hadn’t been for most of the final 10 minutes). This was a huge win for the Wolverines, one that’s been years in the making. If not decades.

With the win over Illinois, Michigan has won the outright Big Ten regular-season title.

No. 1 overall seed back in the realm of possibility

It may come down to the Big Ten Tournament now that Michigan has lost the head-to-head with Duke. And the Blue Devils’ 54-point win over Notre Dame pushed them into the No. 1 NET ranking, stealing it away from the maize and blue. But with a win over the No. 4 NET-ranked Illini, the Wolverines have the second-best win in college basketball (behind Duke, of course). They also have wins over No. 5 Gonzaga, No. 7 Purdue, No. 11 MSU, No. 12 Nebraska, and will face No. 26 Iowa on the road next week.

There’s a strong case for the maize and blue to have the No. 1 overall seed given the levels of domination over most all of the aforementioned teams.

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Indiana

Highlights: Beech Grove at Whiteland; February 27, 2026

Published

29 minutes ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Highlights: Beech Grove at Whiteland; February 27, 2026

WHITELAND, Ind. (WISH) — “The Zone” featured highlights from eight high school boys basketball games from across central Indiana on Friday.

Watch highlights of Beech Grove at Whiteland above.

Final Score: Whiteland 89 Beech Grove 61

“The Zone” airs each Friday at 11:08 p.m. Click here to watch ‘The Zone’ for basketball highlights on February 27, 2026.

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Iowa

Iowa Boys High School Basketball Substate Finals Locked In For 4A

Published

35 minutes ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Iowa Boys High School Basketball Substate Finals Locked In For 4A

The fourth and final bunch of Iowa high school boys basketball substate championship games are now set after the second round of Class 4A games were completed on Friday, February 27.

Substate championships in Iowa’s largest classification will take place on Tuesday, March 3, with the higher seed serving as host in all eight games. Winners advance to Des Moines, Iowa and the Casey’s Center to compete in the Iowa High School Athletic Association Boys State Tournament beginning March 9.

Three-time defending 4A state champion Valley was eliminated by Ankeny, 72-36. The Tigers, who lost all five starters from a year ago, won just one game prior to earning a victory in the opening round of postseason play.

Cedar Falls, who has held the No. 1 spot in 4A throughout the season, scored a dominating 78-45 decision vs. Iowa City High to move on.

Colin Rice, a Nebraska commit for Fred Hoiberg, scored a single-game school-record 50 points as Waukee Northwest topped Iowa City Liberty, 101-58.

Council Bluffs Lincoln, Ames, North Scott, Dowling Catholic, Dubuque Senior, Johnston, Linn-Mar, Muscatine, Norwalk, Cedar Rapids Prairie, Des Moines Roosevelt, Urbandale and Waukee all joined them in the next round after winning games at home.

The 1A and 2A substate finals will take place on Saturday, February 28 while the 3A games go down on Monday, March 2.

Here are the Iowa boys high school basketball Class 4A substate finals for Wednesday, March 3.

Wednesday, March 3

Class 4A

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