During an immigration hearing on 3/2 at the federal courthouse in st. paul, minnesota, judge Jerry Blackwell questioned prosecutor Julie Le regarding why she and her colleagues repeatedly disregarded his orders to release immigrants illegally arrested by federal agents during an immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) sweep.

Le, a 47-year-old vietnamese-american, previously worked as an attorney for ICE. In january, she volunteered to join the federal prosecutor's office in minnesota to manage a series of lawsuits filed by immigrants arrested by ICE agents. Over the following weeks, she was assigned approximately 90 such cases.

"What do you want me to do? This system is terrible. This job is terrible. And I am doing my best to meet your demands", she told judge Blackwell, clearly exasperated. In court, prosecutor Le expressed frustration, stating that she and her colleagues at the minnesota prosecutor's office were completely overwhelmed by the workload, which stemmed from the large-scale immigration enforcement operations conducted by the administration of president Donald Trump in the state. She even remarked, "I wish I would be found in contempt of court, so I could get a full night's sleep".

Vietnamese-american federal prosecutor Julie Le. Photo: Aberrant Law

Judge Blackwell emphasized that an excessive workload could not justify ignoring court orders, highlighting instances where immigrants were detained for additional days even after a judge had signed their release orders. He cited one specific instance where the court had ordered the unconditional release of a man, but the government imposed additional conditions not stipulated in the order.

Le responded that rectifying this was "very difficult", asserting that she had repeatedly reminded ICE officials to comply with court orders, even "consistently sending emails in large font, threatening to name them in court filings". "I do not possess a magic button to fix a broken system. I lack the power or the voice to achieve this", prosecutor Le replied, adding that she had not received adequate training or guidance for her assignment in minnesota and wished to resign but could not find a replacement.

US media outlets characterized the hearing as a "meltdown". Le and the federal prosecutor's office in minnesota have not responded to requests for comment. On the same day, US media, citing informed sources, reported that Le had suspended her prosecutorial duties following the hearing. It remains unclear whether she has lost her position as an attorney for ICE.

Department of homeland security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated that Le was a "probationary prosecutor" and criticized her statements as "unprofessional", though she did not confirm any information regarding Le's termination.