Justice Department Lawyer Fined for Contempt of Court

A federal judge has imposed a daily fine of $500 on a Justice Department lawyer after finding him in civil contempt of court.

On Wednesday, Judge Laura Probingino, appointed by President Joe Biden, stated that her aim was to ensure compliance from the government regarding Rigoberto Soto Jimenez, a Mexican immigrant currently detained in Big Lake, Minnesota.

Soto Jimenez has been living in the U.S. since 2018 and, notably, has neither a criminal record nor a final deportation order. His lawyer mentioned that the process to obtain legal immigration status has been lengthy.

Reportedly, Soto Jimenez was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on January 14. The judge indicated that he hadn’t been provided with a “warrant justifying his detention.” Furthermore, he was denied a bail hearing that Judge Probingino requested, which seems rather unusual. She ordered his release by February 13 at 5 p.m.

ICE met the release deadline but allegedly let Soto Jimenez go without identification, which appears to go against the judge’s February 9 order that specified he should be released “without imposing any conditions” and that all property should be returned to him.

Ishihara, the lawyer, acknowledged in court that Probingino’s orders were “totally” disregarded. He pointed to overwhelming case loads and a lack of staff to manage civil matters as contributing factors. “I don’t think it’s acceptable,” he remarked, adding that the recent workload had been excessive for any Assistant U.S. Attorney.

The fine will take effect starting Thursday and will be applied each day Soto Jimenez remains without identification.

Inquiries have been made to ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Justice for further comment.