Judge Orders Release of Cuban Plane Hijacker After Deportation Stalls
Summary
A federal judge in Florida ordered the release of Miakel Guerra Morales, a Cuban man detained by U.S. immigration authorities after serving prison time for hijacking a plane from Cuba to the U.S. The judge ruled that immigration officials cannot keep him detained indefinitely because they have not shown a clear plan to deport him soon.Key Facts
- Miakel Guerra Morales helped hijack a plane from Cuba to the U.S. in 2003 and was sentenced to 22 years in prison.
- After finishing his sentence, he entered U.S. immigration removal proceedings but was protected from deportation to Cuba under the Convention Against Torture.
- ICE arrested him again in December 2025, intending to deport him to Mexico.
- The judge found that ICE failed to prove Mexico agreed to accept Morales or show a plan to deport him.
- Morales had been detained over six months since his re-arrest without a clear removal plan.
- The judge ordered his release within 24 hours but allowed ICE to monitor him under supervision.
- ICE can detain Morales again if his deportation becomes likely in the future.
- The ruling prevents indefinite detention when removal is not reasonably foreseeable.
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