Republican Congressman Greg Steube from Florida has filed an article of impeachment against Judge John E. Steele, accusing him of committing "high crimes and misdemeanors" by ordering the release of a convicted Cuban plane hijacker from ICE custody.
The House Resolution 1431 alleges that Senior U.S. District Judge John E. Steele of the Middle District of Florida overstepped his authority by releasing Miakel Guerra Morales, an illegal immigrant from Cuba, from ICE custody following a July 8 order.
Congressman Steube criticized Judge Steele's decision, stating, "This is exactly the kind of activist judicial overreach the American people are sick of. Judge Steele had every legal justification to keep a convicted plane hijacker off our streets, and he chose to let him go instead."
Morales was convicted in 2003 for hijacking a Cuban commuter airplane and forcing the pilot to fly to Monroe County, Florida, where he was arrested and charged with aircraft piracy and conspiracy to interfere with a flight crew.
He was sentenced to 22 years behind bars, but despite his conviction, Judge Steele ordered his release last week, citing a Supreme Court ruling governing the detention of foreign nationals whose removal cannot be carried out.
The order stated, "The Government cannot lock individuals in a cell indefinitely as a workaround for a stalled deportation process."
