“The system sucks. This job sucks. And I am trying every breath that I have so that I can get you what you need.”
ST. PAUL — A federal immigration attorney has been sent back to Washington after an extraordinary courtroom collapse in which she told a judge her job “sucks” and begged to be held in contempt just so she could get some sleep.
Julie Le, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attorney detailed to Minnesota for Operation Metro Surge, was removed from her post following a candid and desperate exchange with U.S. District Judge Jerry Blackwell. The hearing highlighted a systemic failure within the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, where the government has struggled to comply with basic court orders.
“The System Sucks”
Facing threats of contempt for repeated violations of court orders, Le didn’t offer a typical legal defense. Instead, she offered a raw confession of a broken system.
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The Workload: Le admitted she “stupidly volunteered” for the surge but found herself overwhelmed by a lack of infrastructure.
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The Frustration: She described fixing administrative errors as “pulling teeth,” requiring dozens of emails and threats of resignation just to correct a single release condition.
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The Plea: “Sometimes I wish you would just hold me in contempt, Your Honor, so that I can have a full 24 hours of sleep,” Le told Blackwell. “The system sucks. This job sucks. And I am trying every breath that I have so that I can get you what you need.”
A Warning from the Bench
Judge Blackwell, while acknowledging that Le appeared to be working in good faith, was unmoved by the “crushing workload” as a legal excuse.
He noted that the government had likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some agencies do in their entire existence. Specifically, Blackwell pointed to cases like “Oscar,” a detainee held for two weeks in squalid conditions despite a court order for his immediate release.
“Having what you feel are too many detainees, too many cases, and not enough infrastructure… is not a defense to continued detention,” Blackwell warned. “Detention without lawful authority is not just a technical defect; it is a constitutional injury.”
Context: Operation Metro Surge
The exchange pulled back the curtain on the administration’s “detain first, find authority later” strategy. Chief judges in Minnesota have called out nearly 100 recent violations where ICE failed to release immigrants determined to be held unlawfully.
While Le has been reassigned, the legal fallout continues. Blackwell did not immediately rule on contempt charges, but the administration has already begun partially scaling back the surge following the intense judicial scrutiny.
