A federal judge released four illegal immigrants who were convicted of murder and child sex crimes from the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

U.S. District Judge John deGravelles for the Middle District Court of Louisiana on Friday granted the defendants release from ICE custody, the Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday.

"The ramifications will only be the continued rape, murder, assault, and robbery of more American victims," Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. "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," she added. "If an immigration judge finds an illegal alien has no right to be in this country, we are going to remove them. Period."

Ibrahim Ali Mohammed, an Ethiopian illegal immigrant, was convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor and was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge on Sept. 5, 2024. The Biden administration released him into the U.S.

Luis Gaston-Sanchez, a Cuban illegal immigrant, was convicted of homicide, assault, resisting an officer, concealing stolen property, and two counts of robbery. He was ordered to be removed on Sept. 24, 2001.

Another Cuban illegal immigrant, Ricardo Blanco Chomat, was convicted of homicide, kidnapping, aggravated assault with a firearm, burglary, robbery, larceny, and selling cocaine. His final order of removal was issued on March 27, 2002.

Francisco Rodriguez-Romero, a Cuban illegal immigrant, was convicted of homicide and a weapons offense. He was ordered to be removed on May 30, 1995.

DHS had made immigration arrests on the four and wanted to keep them in detention to try to orchestrate their deportation.

DeGravelles in ordering the releases said the four had been held too long and there’s no imminent likelihood that their home countries of Cuba and Ethiopia will take them back. 

“Petitioners are currently detained in violation of their constitutional rights. Further, they have been detained with no opportunity to arrange for care for their dependents, pets, or homes; the court can only assume that bills have gone unpaid, jobs may have been lost, and petitioners may be released into housing and food instability, all because the government unlawfully detained them,” the judge wrote, according to the Washington Times.