Over the course of 10 weeks, lawyers for Justice Department violated roughly 50 orders from a judge overseeing an immigration case, a lawyer for the U.S. Attorney’s office in New Jersey said in a court filing last week.
Associate Deputy Attorney General Jordan Fox told New Jersey District Court Judge Michael Farbiarz that the violations ranged from missing hearing deadlines to late releases from custody and even one accidental removal to Peru, according to a document obtained by Politico.
In at least 17 instances Immigration and Customs Enforcement transferred a detainee out of New Jersey, despite judges issuing a no-transfer order, which require the detainee to remain in the state. Fox said these were done inadvertently due to “logistical delays in communicating.”
Fox said these violations were found across 547 habeas corpus petitions in immigration cases – or instances in which a person was challenging their detention.
Fox, who is reportedly the Trump administration’s pick to succeed ousted U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, was recognizant about the number of court violations in immigration cases and conveyed to the judge that the office, under her leadership, wanted to take a vigilant approach to complying with orders.
“We will continue to act with the utmost vigilance to prevent, self-report, and ensure compliance with court orders during this unprecedented period of immigration filings in one of the hardest hit districts in the country,” Fox wrote in a letter to the judge.
The Independent has asked the Department of Justice for comment.
Most of the violations appear to paint a chaotic picture of attorneys and court staff trying to keep up with filing deadlines and communication – missing deadlines by hours, scheduling bond hearings days late, transferring detainees before a court orders a no-transfer order or forgetting to release a detainee on-time.
The acknowledgement of mistakes echoes similar remarks from judges or even Justice Department lawyers across the country who have described difficulty managing an overwhelming number of habeas cases amid the Trump administration’s mass deportation push.
Earlier this month, a now-former federal prosecutor, Julie Le, described being on the brink of exhaustion while trying to keep up with immigration case in Minnesota.
“Sometime I wish you would just hold me in contempt, your honor, so that I can have a full 24 hours of sleep. I work days and night just because people (are) still in there,” Le told a federal judge during a hearing
“The system sucks. This job sucks. And I am trying every breath that I have so that I can get you what you need,” Le said. The administration later removed Le from her post.
Last month, a Minnesota federal judge found 96 violations of court orders across 74 cases in the first 28 days of the year.
