The Trump administration has removed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attorney Julie Le from her detail in Minnesota after she made candid, viral remarks to a federal judge. During a hearing on Tuesday, Le expressed extreme frustration with her workload and the agency’s failure to comply with court mandates, stating bluntly, “This job sucks.”
The incident occurred during a contempt hearing presided over by U.S. District Judge Jerry Blackwell. The judge had summoned Le and Justice Department attorney Ana Voss to explain why the government had repeatedly ignored orders to release five detainees who had no criminal records.
Key Details of the Outburst
Le’s testimony painted a picture of an agency in chaos, struggling under the weight of President Trump’s “Operation Metro Surge”—a mass deportation campaign that has overwhelmed the legal infrastructure in Minnesota.
- Workload: Le reported being assigned 88 cases in a single month, often working day and night without sleep.
- The “Contempt” Request: In an emotional moment, she told the judge, “I wish you would just hold me in contempt… so that I can have a full 24 hours of sleep.”
- Agency Resistance: Le described the difficulty of getting ICE to follow legal orders as “pulling teeth,” noting it often takes ten emails and threats of her own resignation to correct a single release condition.
- Systemic Failure: She summarized the situation to the court by saying, “The system sucks. This job sucks, and I am trying every breath that I have so that I can get you what you need.”
Context: A State of Legal Crisis
The hearing follows a period of intense legal and civil unrest in Minnesota.
- Violations: Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz recently noted that ICE has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have in their entire existence.
- Staffing Shortages: Many career attorneys in the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s office have resigned in protest of the administration’s tactics, particularly following the fatal shootings of civilians Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in January.
- Operation Metro Surge: Despite the legal friction, White House border czar Tom Homan confirmed that while some agents are being reassigned, approximately 2,000 federal agents remain on the ground in Minnesota.
Judicial Response
Judge Blackwell did not hold Le in contempt, acknowledging she was “working in good faith” under difficult circumstances. However, he warned that court orders are not “optional” or “conditional” based on an agency’s infrastructure problems. He emphasized that the human cost—detainees being held in shackles for days after they were ordered released—was his primary concern.
Following the hearing, a source confirmed that Le has been “sent back to her previous job” at ICE, effectively ending her temporary detail in the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Would you like me to look into the current status of the civil lawsuits filed by Minnesota school districts against ICE?
Judge Says ICE is ignoring court orders This video provides further context on the historic level of court order violations by ICE in Minnesota as cited by the state’s chief federal judge.
Judge Says ICE is ignoring court orders – YouTube
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