ICE Can’t Find Man Ordered Back Into Custody by Rhode Island Judge

Bryan Rafael Gómez, a 27-year-old undocumented immigrant living in Massachusetts, remains at large despite a Rhode Island federal judge’s order for his re-detention. Gómez was supposed to report voluntarily to ICE by 5 p.m. on Tuesday but has not done so, and ICE admits it has not found him, according to a court filing by Assistant US Attorney Kevin Bolan.

This failure comes amid a backdrop of troubling secrecy and mismanagement. Gómez was initially released last week by US District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose pending a bond hearing. However, the Department of Homeland Security publicly condemned DuBose as an “activist judge” for releasing what they called a “violent criminal illegal alien” wanted for murder in the Dominican Republic.

What DHS and ICE did not disclose at the time was that the judge had not been informed of an outstanding murder warrant because ICE had not received permission from Dominican authorities to share that information. Judge DuBose called this a “massive breach” of trust and has initiated disciplinary proceedings to investigate the US attorney’s office’s omission of key facts at ICE’s behest.

The situation worsened when ICE released Gómez without any monitoring conditions—no ankle bracelet, no paperwork, no check-ins—despite knowing about the warrant. Gómez’s attorney Melanie Shapiro described this as “very atypical” and “doesn’t make any sense.”

Gómez’s case is complex. He fled the Dominican Republic after a gang shot his brother and attempted to kill him. He entered the US illegally in 2022 and has been seeking asylum. He is married to a US citizen. Before his release, Gómez was held at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls following a local assault and battery arrest.

Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. has appointed special counsel to investigate the mishandling of this case. Meanwhile, Gómez remains missing, and his family is worried.

This case highlights glaring failures in ICE’s detention and communication protocols that put individuals’ safety and justice at risk. It underscores the urgent need for transparency and accountability in immigration enforcement agencies that too often act without oversight or regard for due process.