Overview
- U.S. District Judge Eric Tostrud found the government in civil contempt after ICE moved detainee Fernando T. from Minnesota to El Paso despite a Jan. 20 order keeping him in the state, then released him in Texas without his belongings.
- He ordered the administration to reimburse $568.29 for Fernando’s return airfare, with payment due by April 1.
- The government has until Feb. 28 to request an evidentiary hearing, and the contempt order becomes effective March 1 if no request is filed.
- In court filings, government counsel acknowledged the violation and apologized; Tostrud rejected explanations such as a canceled flight and a winter storm as insufficient.
- The order notes respondents may seek to identify the specific official responsible, and it follows other recent judicial sanctions and errors flagged in immigration cases across multiple districts.