Authorities release man whose case led judge to order ICE leader to appear in court, lawyer says [View all]
Source: AP
Updated 5:29 PM EST, January 27, 2026
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal immigration authorities have released an Ecuadorian man whose detention led the chief federal judge in Minnesota to order the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to appear in his courtroom, the man’s attorney said Tuesday.
Attorney Graham Ojala-Barbour said the man, who is identified in court documents as “Juan T.R.,” was released in Texas. The lawyer said in an email to The Associated Press that he was notified in an email from the U.S. attorneys office in Minneapolis shortly after 1 p.m. CT that his client had been freed.
In an order dated Monday, Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz expressed frustration with the Trump administration’s handling of Juan’s and other immigration cases. He took the extraordinary step of ordering Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE, to personally appear in his courtroom Friday.
Schiltz had said in his order that he would cancel Lyons’ appearance if the man was released from custody.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/immigration-enforcement-minnesota-ice-b0cec9d1c5bae4b62469011775082300
REFERENCE - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143606002
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