Judge Orders Release of Four Detained Foreign Nationals with Criminal Records

A federal judge in the nation’s southern region has reportedly ordered the release of four foreign nationals with extensive criminal histories from immigration detention, according to government officials.

On February 6, Judge John deGravelles, who sits on the regional federal court, allegedly granted the release of the four defendants from immigration custody, the Department of Homeland Security announced. The judge, who was appointed during the previous administration, oversees cases in the jurisdiction’s middle district.

The decision has drawn sharp criticism from current government officials, with Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin warning of potential consequences. “The ramifications will only be the continued rape, murder, assault, and robbery of more [citizens],” McLaughlin reportedly stated, describing the releases as “inexcusably reckless.”

The controversy highlights ongoing tensions between the current administration’s immigration enforcement approach and judicial oversight, observers note. “We are applying the law as written,” McLaughlin added, according to sources. “If an immigration judge finds [a foreign national] has no right to be in this country, we are going to remove them.”

Among those reportedly released is Ibrahim Ali Mohammed, an Ethiopian citizen previously convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor. Immigration authorities had issued a final removal order for Mohammed in September 2024. He had previously been released into the country under the former administration’s policies, officials claim.

The other three individuals are reportedly Cuban nationals with extensive criminal records. Luis Gaston-Sanchez allegedly has convictions for homicide, assault, resisting an officer, concealing stolen property, and two counts of robbery, with a deportation order dating to 2001.

Ricardo Blanco Chomat reportedly faces convictions for homicide, kidnapping, aggravated assault with a firearm, burglary, robbery, larceny, and drug trafficking, with his deportation order issued in 2002. Francisco Rodriguez-Romero was previously convicted of homicide and weapons charges, with a removal order from 1995.

The releases occur as the nation continues to grapple with long-standing immigration enforcement challenges, a issue that has divided the country’s political establishment for decades. In September 2025, authorities announced an expansion of detention facilities in the southern region, including a partnership to utilize space at a state correctional facility known locally as Angola Prison.

The case underscores the complex interplay between federal immigration enforcement, judicial oversight, and detention capacity that characterizes the country’s immigration system, analysts suggest. Local court officials have not yet responded to requests for comment on the judge’s decision.