Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) has introduced articles of impeachment against Senior District Judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, John E. Steele, for ordering the release of a convicted plane hijacker from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.
The Context
In 2003, Maikel Guerra Morales, a Cuban national, hijacked a commuter plane and forced it to land in Key West, Florida. Morales was sentenced to over 20 years in prison for the crime, and the Trump Administration intended to deport him to Mexico after ICE took him into custody in December 2025.
However, after over six months in ICE custody, Judge Steele ordered Morales to be released within 24 hours on July 8th of this year. The judge argued that Morales could not be deported to Cuba because of an anti-torture convention, and claimed that Mexico was not informed that they were going to receive Morales, not giving time for the White House to appeal the decision.
What Steube is Saying
Rep. Steube is not buying that argument.
"This is exactly the kind of activist judicial overreach the American people are sick of," Rep. Steube said in a press release. "ICE had a convicted aircraft pirate in custody while pursuing his removal, and Judge Steele ordered him released within 24 hours despite obvious public safety concerns."
The Florida congressman emphasized, "Judges do not get to override the safety of the American people because it is inconvenient for their docket. I introduced these articles of impeachment because federal judges must be held accountable when they abuse their office and put criminal aliens ahead of the communities they are sworn to protect."
There's Just One Problem
Judge Steele is reported to have suddenly died of unknown causes just days after the ruling, as confirmed by a law clerk for Chief Judge Marcia Morales Howard of the Middle District of Florida, but the cause of death currently remains unknown.
