Campaign Ex-DOJ attorney who complained about ICE enforcement in court launches primary challenge against Ilhan Omar by Sarah Davis - 03/11/26 10:59 PM ET by Sarah Davis - 03/11/26 10:59 PM ET Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email NOW PLAYING The former Justice Department attorney who complained to a federal judge about being overwhelmed by the caseload resulting from the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations announced on Wednesday she is running for Congress.  Julie Le, who is running as a Democrat to challenge incumbent Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), lists immigration reform, education funding and expanded healthcare access as her top campaign priorities .  Le on Wednesday said she would be a more moderate lawmaker than Omar, who has called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to The New York Times . Le said she left as a government lawyer in February, after telling U.S. District Judge Jerry Blackwell during a court hearing in St. Paul, Minn., that she wished he would hold her in contempt of court “so that I can have a full 24 hours of sleep.” “What do you want me to do?” Le asked Blackwell during the February hearing, according to the court transcript.  “The system sucks. This job sucks,” she continued. “And I am trying every breath that I have so that I can get you what you need.”  The outburst followed Blackwell expressing his frustration over the number of court orders the government had ignored in recent weeks, many of which were release orders for people detained during the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration in the state. The enforcement operation was the largest in U.S. history, with over 2,000 federal troops deployed as part of the effort.  Le told Blackwell in the February hearing that she had “stupidly” volunteered to work as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement attorney in Minnesota and had not received proper training for the role. “Fixing a system, a broken system, I don’t have a magic button to do it. I don’t have the power or the voice to do it,” she said. Minnesota’s Democratic primary election will be held on Aug. 11. Add as preferred source on Google Tags Ilhan Omar Jerry blackwell Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email More Campaign News See All Campaign Hogg’s political group makes endorsements in Utah, New York House races by Caroline Vakil 10 minutes ago Campaign  /  10 minutes ago