Updated
Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Sep 6
Judge Orders Release of MS-13 Murder Convict After 5 Months Without Bond Hearing
Updated
Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Sep 6

Judge Orders Release of MS-13 Murder Convict After 5 Months Without Bond Hearing

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Sep 6

Summary

  • August 26 court order required ICE to free David Antonio Aviles Perez, an alleged active MS-13 member convicted in absentia of aggravated murder in El Salvador, after finding his immigration detention unlawful.
  • Five months of custody without a bond hearing or individualized review drove the ruling, with Judge Jinsook Ohta saying officials showed no evidence they assessed danger to the public or flight risk.
  • The order bars ICE from detaining him again unless an immigration judge first holds a bond hearing, while leaving intact his 20-year Salvadoran murder conviction and making no finding that he is not dangerous.
  • DHS confirmed the release on September 5 and denounced the decision as a public-safety risk; the department said ICE had arrested him in San Diego on March 26 on an international warrant.

Insights

Why was a wanted MS-13 murder suspect freed in California, and could an upcoming Supreme Court case change this?
Could the government's failure to provide timely bond hearings force the release of more high-risk detainees nationwide?
Will ICE's massive buyout of a controversial detention center shield it from state oversight and worsening conditions?