A district judge in Florida, appointed by Clinton, has ruled that Michael Guerra Morales, an undocumented immigrant involved in a 2003 plane hijacking, should be released immediately, allowing him onto U.S. streets.
Guerra Morales remained in ICE custody while awaiting deportation until his release in December after serving a 22-year prison sentence.
In December 2003, Guerra Morales was one of six Cubans convicted for their involvement in the hijacking of a 37-passenger plane on March 19, 2003. At the time, witnesses claimed that he forced his way into the cockpit, threatened the pilot with a knife, and demanded a landing in Key West, Florida.
He received a sentence of 22 years for aircraft piracy and conspiracy against the flight crew, completing his time in December 2025, after which he was held by ICE for deportation proceedings.
According to reports, Florida Judge John E. Steele announced on Monday that Guerra Morales would be released from ICE custody on July 8. Judge Steele was appointed during Bill Clinton’s presidency.
ICE had planned to deport Guerra Morales to Mexico, but there are indications he could be sent directly to Cuba. Post-release, he is expected to reside in Miami.
After his release was ordered, Guerra Morales briefly commented, stating, “If the judge hadn’t been strict, ICE wouldn’t have released me.” He mentioned spending 33 days in a Florida detention center referred to as “Alligator Alcatraz” before moving to a processing center in South Florida. Reports indicate that he was released with an electronic monitoring device.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security subsequently issued a statement criticizing Judge Steele’s decision to release an undocumented individual with a criminal background.
“This dynamic judge forced ICE to release an individual who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for hijacking a plane,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Lauren Biss. “This is just another instance of an activist judge defying President Trump’s directives to remove criminal aliens from our country.”
Biss also emphasized that under President Trump and Secretary Marin, DHS will persist in its efforts to detain and deport criminal illegal aliens.
DHS confirmed that a DOJ immigration judge had issued a removal order for Guerra Morales in March 2023, ensuring his detention by ICE upon completing his sentence in December 2025.
A 2003 report indicated that Guerra Morales was the brother of Alexis Norniella Morales, the suspected mastermind behind the hijacking. The brothers had claimed that “everyone on board took part in the conspiracy and the knives were merely props.”
The defendants made a failed argument in court that the hijacked plane represented a “free flight” from Cuba. The pilot dismissed this notion, and the prosecutor found it absurd, stating that the focus should not be on Cuba or its regime.
Following the March 2003 incident and two additional hijackings that same year, Fidel Castro tightened his grip on such activities, blaming the U.S. for encouraging illegal immigration through violence. The Castro regime has long been acknowledged as a state sponsor of terrorism, linked to various violent actions internationally.
