Judge Fines Three Federal Officials

A federal judge in Pittsburgh ordered three top U.S. officials to pay attorney fees after they failed to follow a court order releasing an immigrant from detention.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Maureen Kelly held Attorney General Todd Blanche, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, and acting ICE field office director John E. Rife in civil contempt. The sanctions include a payment of $12,500 in costs for the legal fees of the man they wrongfully detained.

The dispute centers on Nain Vasquez Gonzalez, an El Salvadoran citizen who entered the U.S. as a minor in 2016. He was detained by immigration officials in January 2023 after a drug possession arrest and held for 38 months. Kelly ordered his immediate release on April 28, 2026, finding that his prolonged detention violated due process.

On June 26, 2026, ICE agents arrested Vasquez Gonzalez again in Fairview, N.J., during a nationwide enforcement action. Court filings state that agents asked if he was named Fernando Daniel. When he said no and mentioned his release order, an agent said the paper did not matter. Vasquez Gonzalez was held for 11 hours before his attorney secured a second release.

Kelly asked the government to provide the names of the officers involved and the body camera footage from that morning. The officials gave conflicting accounts of what happened. At one point, they claimed the arresting officer’s camera was not charged because he had left it on the night before.

The judge called the government’s effort to comply with her orders a mix of inconsistent stories and dubious excuses. She noted that at least one certification was inaccurate and that officials attempted to shield their public acts from scrutiny.

Kelly wrote that the changing stories led to two possible conclusions: the officials willfully tried to hide the circumstances of the arrest, or they are unable to maintain proper records and follow court orders. She specifically criticized the use of masks by agents, stating that the United States does not have a secret police force.

ICE eventually submitted video from five agents, but none of the clips showed Vasquez Gonzalez being taken into custody. At least 15 agents were working in concert to arrest 20 people at the time. The judge found the failure to produce relevant footage deeply troubling.

Adrian Roe, an immigration attorney in Pittsburgh, said the court treated the government like any other litigant not in compliance with an order. He called the decision an even-handed application of the rule of law.

The government argued that its failure to answer the court resulted from a scramble to provide answers after making a mistake. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi Grogan wrote that ICE released Vasquez Gonzalez as soon as it realized the error.

Kelly was critical of sworn declarations from agents who were not present at the scene. She said such conduct wastes court resources and, at worst, is possibly perjury. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Pittsburgh declined to comment on the decision.