A federal judge has held a government attorney in contempt and imposed $500 daily fines for violating a court order regarding identification papers of a detained immigrant. U.S. District Court Judge Laura Provinzino found Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Isihara in civil contempt during a Wednesday hearing in Minneapolis.

Judge Provinzino ordered the release of Rigoberto Soto Jimenez from a Texas detention center, requiring ICE to return all his property including his Minnesota driver's license and Mexican consular ID card. Instead, ICE released him in Texas without any identification paperwork, forcing his attorney to arrange emergency shelter and airfare back to Minnesota.

Isihara admitted the violation occurred because the order fell "through the cracks" amid a massive caseload of nearly 130 cases assigned in just one month. He blamed insufficient staffing in the U.S. Attorney's office handling Operation Metro Surge litigation. The fines began accruing Thursday, though Soto Jimenez's attorney later reported receiving a tracking number for overnight delivery of the documents, potentially nullifying the penalties. This marks the first time during Operation Metro Surge that a federal judge has imposed consequences on government attorneys for ICE's non-compliance with court orders.