A Cuban man who held a knife to a pilot's throat and hijacked a passenger jet spent 22 years in federal prison.
Now a Clinton-appointed Florida judge just cut him loose.
And what he said on camera afterward should make your blood boil.
How a Plane Hijacker Ended Up Walking Free in Florida
Maikel Guerra Morales was one of six Cuban nationals who stormed a 37-passenger commuter aircraft in Nueva Gerona, Cuba on March 19, 2003.
They broke into the cockpit and pressed a knife to the pilot's throat, forcing him to redirect the plane to Key West, Florida.
U.S. Marshals arrested him on landing.
He was convicted of aircraft piracy and conspiracy to interfere with a flight crew and sentenced to 22 years in federal prison.
He finished that sentence in December 2025.
ICE immediately took him into custody and began deportation proceedings.
A Department of Justice immigration judge had already issued a final removal order back in March 2023.
This should have been straightforward.
It wasn't.
The Judge Who Decided a Hijacker Belongs in Your Neighborhood
ICE intended to deport Guerra Morales to Mexico, but the government had no confirmed agreement that Mexico would accept him.
On July 8, U.S. District Judge John E. Steele – nominated by Bill Clinton in 2000 – granted Guerra Morales's habeas corpus petition and ordered ICE to release him within 24 hours.
Steele cited the 2001 Supreme Court case Zadvydas v. Davis, which set a presumptive six-month limit on post-removal detention when deportation isn't imminent.
ICE had held him for roughly six months since his re-arrest in December 2025.
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Steele wrote that the government had been given more than three years since the removal order and was still unable to produce a concrete plan to remove him to Cuba, Mexico, or any other country.
The Department of Homeland Security did not take it quietly.
"This activist judge forced ICE to release a criminal illegal alien who was convicted and sentenced to 22 years for hijacking a plane back into American communities," said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. "This is yet another example of an activist judge trying to thwart President Trump's mandate from the American people to remove criminal illegal aliens from our country."
Guerra Morales was released wearing an ankle bracelet and went on Telemundo to declare he has no regrets – because the hijacking was his path to freedom.
This Is the Pattern Democrats Won't Talk About
This isn't a one-off mistake in the judicial system.
It's a coordinated obstruction campaign.
In February 2026, an Obama-appointed judge in Louisiana freed four criminal illegal aliens from ICE custody – three murderers and a child sex offender – citing the same legal framework.
As of late June 2026, federal district court judges had issued more than 9,300 rulings against Trump administration immigration detention policies.
Trump's Justice Department is now asking the Supreme Court to settle the question once and for all.
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Zadvydas v. Davis was decided 5-4 in 2001 – a narrow ruling that critics immediately warned would become a loophole for dangerous criminals to walk free when no country stepped up to receive them.
Cuba has spent decades refusing to accept deportees, and that diplomatic standoff has been the engine for this exact problem.
Bill Clinton's judges are still running those plays in 2026.
They know Cuba won't cooperate.
They know the paperwork will drag.
And they know Zadvydas gives them a mechanism to open the door when ICE's clock runs out.
He's right about one thing – a Clinton judge just gave him exactly what he wanted.
Sources:
- Christian K. Caruzo, "Florida Judge Frees Illegal Migrant Plane Hijacker Awaiting Deportation," Breitbart, July 14, 2026.
- "Activist Judge Orders Release of Illegal Alien Convicted for Hijacking an Aircraft," U.S. Department of Homeland Security, July 14, 2026.
- "Illegal immigrant 'pirate' who hijacked plane gets lifeline from judge," Fox News, July 2026.
- "LAWLESS ABOMINATION: Activist Judge Orders Release of 4 Criminal Illegal Aliens Convicted of Murder and Child Sex Crimes from Louisiana Lockup," U.S. Department of Homeland Security, February 11, 2026.
- John Sauer filing, "Trump Asks Supreme Court to Block Migrant Releases Before Deportation," Breitbart, June 26, 2026.
