Federal Judge Holds Trump DOJ Attorney in Civil Contempt Over Immigration Case

U.S. District Judge Laura Provinzino in Minnesota held Trump administration attorney Matthew Isihara in civil contempt of court for violating court orders in an immigration case. The judge ordered Isihara, a special assistant U.S. attorney, to pay $500 per day until identification documents belonging to Rigoberto Soto Jimenez, who had been ordered released from ICE custody, are returned to him. This contempt finding represents a significant judicial escalation in response to the Trump administration's handling of immigration cases, with the judge citing flagrant disobedience of court orders. The case emerged amid a broader pattern of tensions between federal courts and the Justice Department over compliance with judicial orders in immigration matters during Trump's second term. The contempt order specifically cited the government's failure to comply with multiple court directives to return Jimenez's documents after his court-ordered release, representing a direct defiance of judicia...

"The court finds that the government has flagrantly disobeyed court orders in this matter." — Judge Laura Provinzino's contempt order explaining the basis for holding DOJ attorney Matthew Isihara in civil contempt for failing to return identification documents to Rigoberto Soto Jimenez after his court-ordered release from ICE custody.