Federal judge threatening ICE director with contempt donated to group helping illegal immigrants

A Minnesota-based federal judge who threatened to hold Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons in contempt of court has donated to a nonprofit that gives legal support to illegal immigrants.

Judge Patrick Schiltz, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, and his wife were listed in a 2019 annual report for the organization, the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, which routinely condemns the Trump administration and advertises free legal advice for immigrants, refugees and people detained by ICE.

Schiltz told Fox News Digital in a statement he has “donated for many years to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota.”

“I have also donated for many years to Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid. I believe that poor people should be able to get legal representation,” Schiltz said.

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Schiltz also has conservative bona fides, including having twice clerked for the late Justice Antonin Scalia.

Schiltz’s background has come into view as the Department of Justice has faced high-profile setbacks in federal court in Minnesota and internal challenges in the U.S. Attorney’s Office there.

They have come against the backdrop of significant unrest in Minneapolis after ICE surged agents there against the will of the state’s Democratic leaders. Protests have since erupted and destructive and violent incidents, including ICE killing two U.S. citizens during chaotic altercations, have since occurred.

Schiltz, the chief judge in Minnesota, demanded Lyons appear in federal court on Friday to explain why he should not be held in contempt of court for failing to follow an order regarding an Ecuadoran national who was detained this month after entering the country illegally three decades ago. Schiltz said the man, Juan Hugo Tobay Robles, should have been given a bond hearing by law or be released within seven days and that the Department of Homeland Security failed to follow that order and many others.

“This is one of dozens of court orders with which respondents have failed to comply in recent weeks,” Schiltz wrote, adding that the court’s “patience is at an end.”

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Lyons could potentially avoid the appearance if the DHS releases Robles from custody. Two sources familiar with the matter told Fox News authorities did indeed release Robles on Tuesday, but Schiltz had not issued any new rulings as of publication time.

Schiltz also forcefully rejected a request from the Department of Justice to reverse a magistrate judge’s decision not to approve charges against five individuals, including former CNN anchor Don Lemon, after they stormed into a Minnesota church in protest of ICE. The DOJ then turned to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals for relief, where a three-judge panel comprising one Obama appointee and two Trump appointees denied the department’s request 2-1.

The DOJ still has other avenues to bring charges against Lemon and the others.

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It was not immediately clear how much money Schiltz has contributed to the nonprofit, but Tom Fitton, who leads a conservative legal watchdog, raised questions about Schiltz’s recusal. Judges donating to nonprofits is not grounds for recusal unless they create a conflict of interest.

The Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota has a history of advocating for all immigrants, including those without documentation, and targets its advertising at those with low incomes.

In 2023, the group celebrated passage of a liberal law permitting illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. The group has also repeatedly blasted ICE’s presence in the state.

Fox News’ Bill Mears contributed to this report.