An exasperated and frustrated Department of Homeland Security attorney declared in a stunning moment in court that her job \u201csucks,\u201d the existing legal process “sucks,” and that she sometimes wishes that the judge would hold her in contempt so she “can have a full 24 hours of sleep.”<\/p>\n
Julie Le, who according to public records is a Department of Homeland Security attorney that had been detailed to the U.S. Attorney\u2019s office, was called to testify Tuesday in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minn., about why the government has been nonresponsive to judicial orders regarding people in ICE detention.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
“What do you want me to do? The system sucks,\u201d Le told Judge Jerry Blackwell, according to a court transcript obtained by ABC News.\u00a0“This job sucks. And I am trying [with] every breath that I have so that I can get you what you need.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Blackwell said the administration has routinely not been following court mandates, ignoring multiple orders for detainees to be released that has resulted in their continued detainment for days or even weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Bishop\"](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/2da062ba-0d29-43c3-a8d1-5625a03e9b28\/federal-building-ap-jt-260204_1770238112812_hpMain.jpg?w=375 "\\"Bishop\\"")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>In this Dec. 15, 2021, file photo, the U.S. District Courthouse for the District of Minnesota is shown in St. Paul, Minn.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Nikolas Liepins\/AP, FILE<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “The overwhelming majority of the hundreds [of individuals] seen by this court have been found to be lawfully present as of now in the country,” said Blackwell. “In some instances, it is the continued detention of a person the Constitution does not permit the government to hold and who should have been left alone, that is, not arrested in the first place,”\u00a0according to the transcript.<\/p>\n Operation Metro Surge has “generated a volume of arrests and detentions that has taxed existing systems, staffing, and coordination between DOJ and the DHS,” Blackwell acknowledged, but said that was no excuse for the government’s lack of response to court orders.<\/p>\n “The volume of cases and matters is not a justification for diluting constitutional rights and it never can be” said Blackwell. “It heightens the need for care. Having what you feel are too many detainees, too many cases, too many deadlines, and not enough infrastructure to keep up with it all is not a defense to continued detention. If anything, it ought to be a warning sign.\u201d<\/p>\n Blackwell also questioned Le regarding why the Donald Trump administration should not be held in contempt for violating court orders.\u00a0<\/p>\n Protestors clash with federal agents outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on Jan. 8, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Octavio Jones\/AFP via Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “I am here as a bridge and a liaison between the one that [is] in jail, because if I walk out \u2013 sometimes I wish you would just hold me in contempt, Your Honor, so that I can have a full 24 hours of sleep. I work day and night just because people are still in there,\u201d Le said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Le also told the judge that she had previously submitted her resignation from her DHS post, “but they couldn’t find a replacement. So I gave them a specific time … to get it done. If they don’t, then by all means, I’m going to walk out,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n An official confirmed to ABC News that Le is no longer detailed to the U.S. attorney\u2019s office.\u00a0Le did not immediately respond to an ABC News request for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Le further told Blackwell in court that it was like \u201cpulling teeth\u201d to get a response from ICE regarding judicial orders.\u00a0<\/p>\n Le said she \u201cstupidly\u201d volunteered for the assignment with DHS because they were “overwhelmed and they need help” and that she has only been in the job for a month.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I started with the job, I have to be honest, we have no guidance on what we need to do,\u201d Le told the court.\u00a0<\/p>\n Federal agents make a traffic stop on a person as they provide a passport for identification, Jan. 27, 2026, in Minneapolis.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Adam Gray\/AP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cYou received no proper orientation or training on what you were supposed to do?\u201d Blackwell asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI have to say yes to that question,\u201d Le responded.\u00a0<\/p>\n Blackwell also questioned Le about concerns he had regarding ICE detainees who were ordered released but that had already been moved to facilities in El Paso or New Mexico, and people who had been unlawfully detained but were told they had to wear an ankle monitor as a condition of their release, \u201cwhich the court didn\u2019t order because the person was unlawfully detained in the first place.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI share the same concern with you, your honor,\u201d Le responded. \u201cI am not white, as you can see. And my family\u2019s at risk as any other people that might get picked up, too, so I share the same concern, and I took that concern to heart.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFixing a system, a broken system,\u201d Le said. \u201cI don\u2019t have a magic button to do it. I don’t have the power or the voice to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Judge Blackwell began the hearing with a stern admonition that \u201ca court order is not advisory, and it is not conditional,\u201d and \u201cit is not something that any agency can treat as optional while it decides how or whether to comply with the court order.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem in Washington, Jan. 24, 2026, Border Czar Tom Homan in Washington, Jan. 14, 2026 and Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino in Minneapolis, Jan. 13, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Getty Images\/EPA\/Shutterstock\/Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cDetention without lawful authority is not just a technical defect, it is a constitutional injury that unfairly falls on the heads of those who have done nothing wrong to justify it. The individuals affected are people. The overwhelming majority of the hundreds seen by this court have been found to be lawfully present as of now in the country. They live in their communities. Some are separated from their families,\u201d Blackwell said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe DOJ, the DHS, and ICE are not above the law. They do wield extraordinary power, and that power has to exist within constitutional limits. When court orders are not followed, it’s not just the court’s authority that’s at issue. It is the rights of individuals in custody and the integrity of the constitutional system itself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Blackwell adjourned the hearing saying he would all that he heard under advisement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"federal](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/cc0a67a8-a6ea-4b8e-955d-ec0762061b5c\/ice-protest-gty-jt-260204_1770238306189_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=375 "\\"federal")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>![\"Homeland](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/32a0d9ed-444b-4fc3-8aee-a64d5d705b7b\/minn-7-ap-gmh-260127_1769540355248_hpMain_4x3.jpg?w=375 "\\"Homeland")
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