Overview
- U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson ordered the immediate release of Carlos Flores-Miguel from ICE custody under strict supervision.
- The ruling cited government missteps including repeated transfers, custody confusion, sealed and later dropped criminal filings, and the lack of a concrete removal timeline.
- An Immigration Court previously found he cannot be returned to El Salvador due to risk of torture, and DHS says it is exploring removal to Mexico, which has not agreed to accept him.
- DHS had listed Flores-Miguel on its 'Worst of the Worst' webpage, and Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis publicly condemned the release.
- ICE alleges he violently resisted his Jan. 20 arrest in Minneapolis and DHS reports prior illegal reentry convictions and other offenses, while no new federal criminal charges are pending.