DOJ Takes Lawyer Who Said ‘Job Sucks’ Off Minnesota Detail (1)

The Justice Department removed an attorney from a detail with the US attorney’s office in Minnesota after she expressed frustration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s noncompliance with court orders, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Julie Le, an attorney representing the US attorney’s office in Minnesota said, “the system sucks, this job sucks,” in response to a federal judge’s questions on situations where courts have found ICE violated court orders in migrants’ cases, according to a transcript of the court proceeding.

Le’s unusual remarks came Tuesday at a hearing regarding five separate habeas petitions from detained migrants, each of whom were transferred to other states as the US District Court for the District of Minnesota ordered their release. Judge Jerry Blackwell called the hearing to determine how to move forward to ensure the administration complies with migrant release orders.

Justice Department lawyers have struggled with a flood of habeas petitions related to the Trump administration’s crackdown of undocumented migrants in Minnesota and elsewhere in the US.

Le, who said in court Tuesday that she’s an ICE attorney in immigration court, didn’t respond to emails and a voicemail requesting comment. A DHS spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a question about Le’s status at the agency.

In response to Blackwell’s questions, Le provided a vivid account of how government lawyers have responded to the surge in habeas petitions and judges’ rising frustration about how the Justice Department is handling the cases, according to a transcript of the show-cause hearing obtained by Bloomberg Law.

Le said she was “put on this special mission to help” the US attorney’s office with habeas claims on Jan. 5.

“They are overwhelmed and they need help,” Le said, adding that she “stupidly” volunteered.

Le said she’d had trouble accessing her DOJ email and had been given “no guidance or direction on what we need to do.”

“And so when you showed up, they just throw you in the well and then here we go,” Le said.

Blackwell asked, “So you are telling the court that you were brought in brand new, a shiny brand new penny into this role, and you received no proper orientation or training on what you were supposed to do?”

Le replied, “I have to say yes to that question, Your honor.”

Le detailed the challenges in keeping the court and fellow government lawyers abreast of developments while making filing errors, before adding she “put in my resignation from the job, too, but they couldn’t find a replacement.”

After noting she was up the previous night until 2:35 a.m., Le said, “And I am here with you, Your Honor. What do you want me to do? 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 later cited her own background in explaining that she understood the gravity of the issue and the need to comply with court orders.

“I am not White, as you can see. And my family’s at risk as any other people that might get picked up too, so I share the same concern, and I took that concern to heart,” Le said. “But, again, fixing a system, a broken system, I don’t have a magic button to do it.”

Blackwell later replied, “I appreciate your candor.”

Le is listed in the Minnesota Judicial Branch’s attorney database as a DHS attorney admitted to practice in 2021.

Administration Response

A DHS spokesperson responded to Le’s comments in court in an emailed statement, arguing the “Trump administration is more than prepared to handle the legal caseload necessary to deliver President Trump’s deportation agenda for the American people.”

“President Trump and Secretary Noem are now enforcing the law and arresting illegal aliens who have no right to be in our country,” the spokesperson said.

DOJ spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre said in an email that the administration is “complying with court orders and fully enforcing federal immigration law.”

“If rogue judges followed the law in adjudicating cases and respected the Government’s obligation to properly prepare cases, there wouldn’t be an ‘overwhelming’ habeas caseload or concern over DHS following orders,” Baldassarre said.

Another federal judge in Minnesota last month found ICE had violated court orders 96 times so far this year.

Attorneys for petitioners in the cases that were the subject of the hearing Tuesday filed multiple motions asking the court to prohibit ICE and DHS from immediately transferring Minnesotans detained by ICE out of state. Blackwell didn’t indicate when he would decide on the motions, according to the transcript.