A POLITICO review of hundreds of cases found ICE routinely defies court orders to release detainees, delaying compliance by days or weeks, withholding belongings or documents, and sometimes deporting people despite judicial orders. Federal judges in multiple states have called the conduct illegal and unconstitutional. A newer pattern documented by MPR News and immigration attorneys in Minnesota shows ICE agents re-arresting detainees at federal buildings immediately after judges grant their release, before they can leave the premises; one Minnesota construction worker said agents were waiting for him the moment his habeas petition was granted. The tactic comes as ICE arrests reached roughly 51,000 in July 2026, a new monthly record, and as operations like Chicago's Midway Blitz produced thousands of arrests in weeks, with school districts reporting enrollment drops among Latino students tied to enforcement fears.