A Minnesota federal judge has found Matthew Isihara, a Trump administration military lawyer, in civil contempt of court over the treatment of Rigoberto Soto Jimenez, who was recently released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.
On Wednesday, February 18, U.S. District Judge Laura Provinzino ordered Isihara to pay a $500 fine on a daily basis until all “identification documents” belonging to Jimenez are returned to him.
Isihara was brought in to assist the Department of Justice (DOJ), led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, as a special assistant United States attorney.
NEW: Minnesota federal judge has found SAUSA Matthew Isihara in civil contempt for violating her order in a habeas case, following his failure to return an ICE detainee’s identification docs. Isihara is one of the JAG attorneys assisting the USAO in Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/Jz7jzYyanY
— Fallon Gallagher (@falgallagher) February 18, 2026
Soto Jimenez is a Mexican national who has resided in Minnesota since 2018. Despite now being a legal resident of the United States, he was detained by ICE agents in mid-January. His arrest came as part of the Trump administration’s hardline immigration crackdown in Minnesota.
Soto Jimenez filed a lawsuit claiming ICE violated his civil rights while he was detained. He is among hundreds of other immigrants in Minnesota who raised a similar issue. Last week, Provinzino ordered ICE to release him from custody.
The court ruled that immigration officials failed to present a warrant that justified his arrest. A court hearing was set on February 18, where Provinzino questioned why the government failed to return his documents after he was released from custody.
However, the government certified that the documents had been returned to Soto Jimenez. According to Fox 9, Isihara apologized in court for allowing the case to “fall through the cracks.” He blamed the staff shortage at the U.S. attorney’s office and the high caseloads for the mishap.
Having said that, not everyone agrees with Provinzino. In a statement to The New York Times, U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Daniel Rosen said, “Judge Provinzino’s order is a lawless abuse of judicial power.”
Minnesota Judge Laura Provinzino has held a government attorney in civil contempt of court for violating a court order in an immigration case, yet another sign of the DOJ not following court orders from federal judges. The attorney, Matthew Isihara, is a special assistant US… pic.twitter.com/cHHuJIUbRB
— Ryan Sprouse (@RSprouseNews) February 19, 2026
Provinzino’s ruling reflects growing tensions among judges over the Trump administration violating court decisions regarding ICE operations. Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota noted at least 100 instances where ICE showed noncompliance with court orders since the start of January.
The list includes incidents where immigrants who were granted release by the court have been locked up for weeks, even after the ruling. There have also been instances where individuals have been detained at a facility located far away from their home and without their possessions, because the court ruling didn’t prohibit it explicitly.
Muneer I. Ahmed, a Yale Law professor, told the The New York Times, “Federal judges are at their wits’ end when it comes to the government.”
“Judges are no longer willing to give the benefit of the doubt to the federal government that they are acting in good faith and with the integrity expected of government lawyers. It’s really quite extraordinary,” Ahmed added.
