1. United States
2. Iowa
3. Letter

You told me that Pam Bondi would “remove the weaponization of the Department of Justice.” Instead, what we are watching is the collapse of the rule of law in real time. Federal judges in Minnesota have now documented that ICE has ignored nearly 100 federal court orders in immigration detention cases. These are not technical errors or paperwork delays. These are direct orders from federal judges—ignored for days or weeks—resulting in people being unlawfully detained with no legal authority. One judge stated plainly that detention without lawful authority is a constitutional injury, not a procedural mistake. At the same time, a DHS attorney testified in open court that the system is “broken.” She was assigned 91 immigration cases in a single month, given no guidance, and described trying to get ICE to comply with court orders as “pulling teeth.” She resigned because the job was impossible. That testimony alone should have triggered emergency oversight. Instead, nothing. This is not a DOJ that has been “de-weaponized.” This is a DOJ that is nonfunctional. When federal agencies feel free to ignore judges, we are no longer debating immigration policy—we are watching the executive branch decide it does not have to follow the courts. That is not reform. That is authoritarian drift. So I am asking you directly: Why has there been no accountability for nearly 100 ignored court orders? Why are judges openly discussing contempt while Congress stays silent? And how does this square with your claim that DOJ leadership would restore integrity and respect for the law? If court orders can be ignored without consequence, then constitutional rights are meaningless. And if Congress refuses to act, then it is complicit. This is not theoretical. This is happening now, in federal courtrooms, on the public record. The justice system is breaking—and your assurances are not matching reality. There are 268 days until the 2026 midterms.