ICE Hid Murder Warrant From Federal Judge, Jeopardizing Court’s Trust

In a stunning display of government obfuscation, a Rhode Island federal judge exposed how US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deliberately kept a murder warrant secret from the court when deciding to release an immigrant detainee. The revelation has sparked a fierce rebuke from the judiciary and raised alarming questions about ICE’s respect for legal transparency.

US District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose did not learn of Bryan Rafael Gómez’s 2023 homicide warrant from the Dominican Republic until after she ordered his release from ICE custody on April 28. The US Attorney’s Office, acting on ICE’s instructions, withheld this critical information, a move DuBose called a “massive breach” of the court’s trust during a hearing on Monday.

The case’s timeline reveals ICE told Assistant US Attorney Kevin Bolan not to confirm or deny the existence of the warrant because they had not yet received “use authorization” from Dominican authorities. This directive prevented the court from making a fully informed decision about Gómez’s detention status. The warrant was only disclosed to ICE on April 30—two days after the judge’s release order and coinciding with a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) press release.

That DHS statement attacked Judge DuBose as an “activist judge” who irresponsibly freed a “violent criminal illegal alien,” a charge DuBose vehemently denied. She called the DHS press release “inflammatory” and “patently false,” stressing that the court never knowingly released a dangerous individual.

The judge expressed deep concern that the US Attorney’s Office felt compelled to seek permission before providing “full candor” to the court, highlighting a troubling erosion of ethical standards. “I’ve been racking my brain trying to think of a scenario where an attorney coming before a judge can, at their client’s request, withhold material information,” she said.

Gómez, 27, entered the US illegally in 2022 and had been detained by ICE following a local assault charge. His attorney only learned about the murder warrant after a reporter’s inquiry. The government’s failure to disclose the warrant has been described by defense counsel as “outrageous” and a serious disservice to judicial integrity.

This incident is emblematic of broader patterns of ICE’s lack of transparency and disregard for due process, especially in immigration detention cases. It underscores the urgent need for accountability and reform in an agency repeatedly criticized for operating with minimal oversight and frequent rights violations.

Judge DuBose’s forthcoming decision on whether to reconsider Gómez’s detention will be closely watched. Meanwhile, the episode leaves a stain on DHS and ICE, exposing a dangerous willingness to mislead courts and the public in pursuit of enforcement goals. This is yet another example of how unchecked power within the immigration system threatens the very rule of law it claims to uphold.