A federal judge has ordered the release of an MS-13 gang member from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, despite a criminal history that includes rape, robbery, and repeated illegal entry into the United States, according to the Department of Homeland Security, as reported by Fox News.
U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, issued the order earlier this month directing immigration authorities to release Carlos Antonio Flores-Miguel, a citizen of El Salvador identified by officials as a member of the MS-13 gang.
Flores-Miguel had previously been taken into custody by ICE on Jan. 20 in Minneapolis. According to DHS, the arrest involved a violent confrontation in which Flores-Miguel allegedly punched and kicked officers and grabbed at an agent’s gun holster while resisting detention.
RECKLESS
Obama-appointed judge ordered the release of a CONVICTED RAPIST & MS-13 gang member from ICE custody.
Carlos Antonio Flores-Miguel is an illegal alien.
On January 20, 2026, ICE conducted a targeted operation to arrest Flores-Miguel.
During the arrest, he… pic.twitter.com/1vrhvfUedX
— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) March 17, 2026
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DHS officials outlined the suspect’s criminal record, stating that his offenses in the United States include rape, resisting an officer, and illegal re-entry.
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Authorities also reported that Flores-Miguel had been arrested in El Salvador for robbery prior to entering the United States.
“This activist, Obama-appointed judge RELEASED Carlos Antonio Flores-Miguel, a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador and MS-13 gang member, from ICE Custody,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis.
“Releasing violent criminals is inexcusably reckless, and now this criminal will be able to perpetrate more crimes against innocent Americans.”
Flores-Miguel’s immigration history includes multiple unlawful entries into the United States. DHS said he first entered illegally in September 2016 and was deported the following month.
He re-entered and was again removed in March 2017. According to officials, he entered the country a third time in October 2021 and was later released in June 2022 under the Biden administration.
An immigration judge subsequently ordered his removal, ruling that Flores-Miguel could be deported to a country other than El Salvador.
Yesterday in Minneapolis, DHS arrest Carlos Antonio Flores-Miguel. He is:
> a criminal illegal alien
> MS-13 gang member
> registered sex offender
> with a final order of removal from 2021
He has been deported FOUR times.
This is who Democrats are defending. pic.twitter.com/iDroL3dtIg
— Abigail Jackson (@abigailmarone) January 22, 2026
“President Trump is enforcing the law and arresting illegal aliens who have no right to be in our country,” Bis said.
“We are applying the law as written. If an immigration judge finds an illegal alien has no right to be in this country, we are going to remove them. Period.”
DHS said the case highlights the importance of third-country deportation options in removing criminal illegal immigrants from the United States.
A recent federal appeals court decision allowed the Trump administration to continue deporting migrants to countries other than their place of origin, despite objections from critics.
In her ruling, Judge Nelson criticized the administration’s handling of the case, including the publication of Flores-Miguel’s image on a DHS website. The site had identified him as one of the “Worst of the Worst.”
“Respondents make no attempt to explain why Mexico, or any country, would agree to accept the ‘Worst of the Worst’,” Nelson wrote in her order.
Federal officials have not provided further details on Flores-Miguel’s current status following his release. The case continues to draw attention as authorities review next steps related to his immigration proceedings and potential removal.
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