From The Hill: A government lawyer who told a judge that her job “sucks” during a court hearing stemming from the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota has been removed from her Justice Department post, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Julie Le had been working for the Justice Department on a detail, but the U.S. attorney in Minnesota ended her assignment after her comments in court on Tuesday, the person said. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter. She had been working for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement before the temporary assignment.
At a hearing Tuesday in St. Paul, Minnesota, for several immigration cases, Le told U.S. District Judge Jerry Blackwell that she wishes he could hold her in contempt of court “so that I can have a full 24 hours of sleep.”
“What do you want me to do? The system sucks. This job sucks. And I am trying every breath that I have so that I can get you what you need,” Le said, according to a transcript.
According to the report, the judge was scolding Le because he said the illegal aliens arrested by ICE agents aren’t being freed quick enough, and “are routinely jailed for days after judges have ordered their release from custody.”
The Hill wrote: Le said she was working for the Department of Homeland Security as an ICE attorney in immigration court before she “stupidly” volunteered to work the detail in Minnesota. Le told the judge that she wasn’t properly trained for the assignment. She said she wanted to resign from the job but couldn’t get a replacement.
Le has now been removed from the position, although it is unclear whether she was actually fired. Politico wrote:
Shortly after the candid courtroom exchange on Tuesday, Le was removed from her temporary post and returned to the Department of Homeland Security, where she works on immigration cases within the executive branch, said a Justice Department official who was granted anonymity to discuss personnel matters.
More from Politico: Le, 47, who was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the U.S. in 1993, also indicated she was troubled by allegations that at least some ICE detentions have been driven by racial profiling.
“I am not white, as you can see. And my family’s at risk as any other people that might get picked up too, so I share the same concern, and I took that concern to heart,” she said.
🚨BREAKING: DOJ Attorney Who Melted Down in Court Over Immigration Cases and Begged Judge to Hold Her in Contempt Has Been Fired – Previously Appointed by Walz
No doubt another theater kid!
The Justice Department lawyer who melted down in federal court, said her job ‘sucks’… pic.twitter.com/x1jsFr6krG
— Tony Seruga (@TonySeruga) February 5, 2026
READ MORE from The Hill.
CBS News posted a copy of the full transcript between Le and the judge.
ICE lawyer removed from Minnesota immigration detail after telling judge “this job sucks” https://t.co/b8PDGG1OPV
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 5, 2026
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