A blunt courtroom moment has ended a federal attorney’s temporary assignment in Minnesota, after she told a judge that the immigration work she was handling had become overwhelming and that court orders were not being followed.
The U.S. Justice Department removed Julie Le from her posting after comments she made during a tense hearing in St. Paul, according to a source familiar with the decision. Le had been assigned to assist with a surge of immigration-related cases tied to a major enforcement push during the Trump administration.
During the hearing, the judge demanded an explanation for repeated failures by federal authorities to comply with court instructions, including orders directing the release of detainees. In response, Le spoke candidly about the pressure she was under, describing the system as broken and admitting she had “stupidly” volunteered for the assignment in early January to help manage the flood of lawsuits.
Court records show her frustration spilling into plain language. She told the judge the workload was relentless, the systems dysfunctional, and that she had been working day and night trying to keep up. At one point, she remarked that the job itself “sucks,” a comment that later drew sharp criticism from officials.
The Justice Department said it is complying with court orders while aggressively enforcing immigration laws, placing blame for delays on what it described as unusually heavy caseloads and uncooperative courts. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security called Le’s remarks unprofessional, though it remains unclear whether she has returned to her prior role.
Le did not respond to requests for comment.
In the hearing, she also pointed to a lack of training and coordination, saying she struggled to ensure immigration authorities followed judicial directives — something she said had been a persistent problem. Exhausted, she told the judge she sometimes wished to be held in contempt just to get a full night’s sleep.
The Minnesota office has been under intense strain, juggling a surge of immigration petitions alongside other high-profile cases. Internal tensions have already surfaced, with several senior staff members stepping down earlier this month in protest over how a separate fatal shooting investigation involving an immigration agent was handled.
The judge acknowledged the enormous strain on federal resources but pushed back on the government’s complaints, saying many of the problems stemmed from repeated failures to comply with court orders in the first place.
Le, speaking personally, said the stakes were not abstract for her. She noted that her own background made the issue deeply personal, adding that her family, like many others, could be affected by the very enforcement actions at the heart of the cases she was handling.
By the end of the day, her candid remarks had cost her the assignment — a rare moment where courtroom frustration spilled into public view, exposing the pressure points inside an already overburdened immigration system.
