Omar faces primary from ex-DOJ lawyer who told judge ‘this job sucks’
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A former government attorney who drew national attention after a tense courtroom exchange over immigration enforcement is launching a bid to unseat Rep.Ilhan Omar in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District. Julie Le, who previously defended ICE actions as a temporary DOJ attorney in Minnesota, announced she’s running as a Democrat and will focus on immigration reform, expanded education funding, and improved healthcare access, positioning herself as more centrist than Omar, who has called for abolishing ICE. Le’s spotlight moment came during a February hearing in St. Paul, where she complained to U.S. District Judge Jerry Blackwell that “the system sucks. This job sucks,” admitting she volunteered for ICE work without proper training and was fired within hours. The broader immigration crackdown context included the deployment of more than 2,000 federal troops. In a Washington Post interview, Le said the episode underscored that attorneys have limited power to solve systemic problems and that only lawmakers can change the law. Minnesota’s Democratic primary is scheduled for August 11.
Ilhan Omar faces primary challenge from ex-DOJ lawyer who declared ‘this job sucks’
A former government attorney who drew national attention after a tense courtroom exchange over immigration enforcement last month is launching a bid for Congress against Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
Julie Le, who previously defended Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in Minnesota as a temporary attorney for the Justice Department, announced Wednesday that she is running as a Democrat in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District. She plans to launch her campaign Saturday in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park, according to her campaign website.
Le said her campaign will focus on immigration reform, expanding education funding, and improving access to healthcare. She also said she would pursue a more centrist political approach than Omar, who has previously called for abolishing ICE.
Le first came into the spotlight during a February hearing before U.S. District Judge Jerry Blackwell in St. Paul, where she vented about the strain of handling a wave of immigration litigation tied to the Trump administration’s enforcement operations.
“What do you want me to do?” Le asked Blackwell, according to a court transcript from the hearing. “The system sucks. This job sucks.”
The exchange came as the judge pressed DOJ attorneys in early February about delays in complying with court orders that requested detained immigrants to receive bond hearings or be released.
Le said during the hearing that she had “stupidly” volunteered to help as an ICE attorney despite not receiving proper training. She also told the judge that being held in contempt might at least give her a chance to get a full night’s sleep. She was fired within hours of the outburst.
The enforcement effort in Minnesota was part of a broader immigration crackdown that included the deployment of more than 2,000 federal troops, making it one of the largest operations of its kind in U.S. history.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Le said the episode led her to conclude that attorneys have limited power to address the underlying problems in the immigration system.
“I’m an attorney,” she said. “I can’t do much at all. Legislators are the only ones that can change the law.”
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Minnesota’s Democratic primary election is scheduled for Aug. 11.
The Washington Examiner contacted Le but did not receive a response.
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