A top lawyer who worked for 31 years for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minnesota has quit due to a massive rise in lawsuits against the agency. The news of Chief Counsel Jim Stolley quitting as an ICE lawyer coincides with an attorney being removed for complaining about the overwhelming number of immigration cases.
Stolley has not publicly commented on retiring yet, apart from an automated response from his email id. The automatic message reads, “I have retired from public service,” while redirecting the emails to the duty attorney.
Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin confirmed Stolley’s retirement, saying it was scheduled to happen. Although she did not provide any further explanation for the retirement.
Jim Stolley, ICE’s chief counsel in the state, has retired after 31 years in public service, according to a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security. https://t.co/s3ucA6C97y
— The Minnesota Star Tribune (@StarTribune) February 8, 2026
Ever since the Trump administration’s immigrant crackdown started in Minnesota, there has been unrest among people. In addition, the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti resulted in mass protests against ICE.
The federal agents have failed to follow protocol during their raids, where they are targeting US citizens, the elderly and even kids. Several immigrants who have the right documents and ongoing asylum cases are fighting deportation orders.
Due to this, the number of legal complaints and lawsuits has increased against ICE. The rise in lawsuits has been overwhelming for the government lawyers. Earlier, Julie T. Le was removed from her role after she complained about the current situation. She expressed her frustration, calling out the “broken system” and not having the “magic button to do it.”
She voiced her concerns about the cases filed by the immigrants becoming unmanageable. She said, “The system s—. This job s—.” Furthermore, she did not hesitate from blaming the government for not complying with court orders.
Jim Stolley, ICE’s lead attorney, departs amid a crisis in Minnesota’s immigration court system, increasing litigation and non-compliance with court orders. ⚖️
The Minnesota prosecutor’s office is overwhelmed, prioritizing cases due to a flood of 427 legal actions in one mon… pic.twitter.com/ajwhusdDdV
— unumihai Media (@unumihaimedia) February 7, 2026
Supporting Le’s claims, a federal judge in Minnesota, Patrick J. Schiltz, claimed ICE violated more than 100 judicial orders. He added, “ICE has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence.”
There is a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union against DHS for unlawful arrests and racial profiling. Another lawsuit was filed when an 18-month-old baby in a detention center was denied the doctor’s prescribed medication in Texas.
Judge John R. Tunheim had to step in and order federal agents to stop detaining those who are lawfully admitted to the US. Needless to say, the lawyers and judges are burnt out with the current crisis.
