In what the Department of Homeland Security called a “lawless abomination,” a federal judge appointed by Barack Obama has ordered the immediate release of four criminal illegal aliens from ICE detention at Louisiana’s Angola Prison. Three are convicted murderers. The fourth is a convicted pedophile.
U.S. District Judge John deGravelles ordered the release of the four men from the newly expanded ICE detention facility known as “Camp 57,” sometimes referred to as the “Louisiana Lockup.” The men had been re-detained by ICE as part of the Trump administration’s stepped-up enforcement of immigration law and were being held pending removal from the United States.
All four had final deportation orders.
Let’s be clear about who this whack job of a judge just turned loose onto American streets.
Ibrahim Ali Mohammed, from Ethiopia, was convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor. He had already been released into the United States under the Biden administration. A final order of removal was issued on September 5, 2024.
Image of Ibrahim Ali Mohammed via DHS.
Luis Gaston-Sanchez, from Cuba, was convicted of homicide, assault, resisting an officer, concealing stolen property, and two counts of robbery. His final removal order was issued on September 24, 2001.
Image of Luis Gaston-Sanchez via DHS
Ricardo Blanco Chomat, also from Cuba, was convicted of homicide, kidnapping, aggravated assault with a firearm, burglary, robbery, larceny, and selling cocaine. His final removal order dates back to March 27, 2002.
Image of Ricardo Blanco Chomat via DHS.
Francisco Rodriguez-Romero, from Cuba, was convicted of homicide and a weapons offense. His final removal order was issued May 30, 1995.
Image of Francisco Rodriguez-Romero via DHS.
These are not minor offenders. These are not paperwork violations. These are individuals convicted of murder, violent assault, kidnapping, armed crimes, sexual exploitation of a child, and drug trafficking.
And yet an Obama-appointed judge ordered them released into the country.
Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin did not mince words in DHS’s response.
“Judge John deGravelles, appointed by Barack Obama, released FOUR violent criminals back onto American communities, and unfortunately, the ramifications will only be the continued rape, murder, assault, and robbery of more American victims,” said McLaughlin.
She continued: “Releasing these monsters is inexcusably reckless. President Trump and Secretary Noem are now enforcing the law and arresting illegal aliens who have no right to be in our country. We are applying the law as written. If an immigration judge finds an illegal alien has no right to be in this country, we are going to remove them. Period.”
The key detail here is not complicated. All four men had final deportation orders. That means the legal process had already run its course. Immigration judges had determined they had no right to remain in the United States.
They were being held at the Louisiana State Penitentiary under a September partnership between DHS and the state to expand detention space specifically for criminal illegal aliens. The facility was part of a broader effort to remove dangerous offenders from American communities.
Instead, they have now been released from custody following the judge’s order.
DHS has emphasized that the agency is working “rapidly and overtime” to remove criminal illegal aliens from the country, even as activist judges continue to interfere. The administration’s position is straightforward: enforce the law as written, detain those with final removal orders, and carry out deportations.
What makes this ruling so stunning is not just the timing, but the category of offenders involved. Three convicted murderers. A convicted child predator. All with final removal orders. All released anyway.
Americans are told the system is designed to protect public safety. Yet decisions like this raise a serious question: protect whom?
The four men were released shortly after the order. They are no longer in ICE custody. Their whereabouts are currently unknown and they are roaming the streets of America.
That is not an abstract policy debate. It is a real-world consequence of a judicial decision that many at DHS are calling reckless.
And the country is left to deal with the fallout.
