Washington, D.C. – A controversial ruling by U.S. District Judge Rachel Martinez, a Democratic appointee, has ignited a firestorm of debate after she ordered the Biden administration to facilitate the return of a plane carrying dozens of deported immigrants—many convicted of rape, sexual offenses, violent crimes, and child abuse—back to the United States. The decision, handed down late Friday in the District Court for the Southern District of California, challenges Trump-era immigration policies and has drawn sharp criticism from Republican lawmakers and public safety advocates.
The plane in question, which departed San Diego on March 10, carried 87 noncitizen offenders deported under a reinstated Trump administration directive targeting criminals living illegally in the U.S. According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) records, the group included 23 individuals convicted of rape, 19 sex offenders, 28 perpetrators of violent felonies such as aggravated assault and armed robbery, and 17 child abusers. The deportations were part of a broader enforcement surge following President Trump’s January 20 inauguration, fulfilling his campaign promise to prioritize the removal of “criminal aliens.”
Judge Martinez’s ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and immigrant rights groups, who argued that the deportations violated due process by failing to allow individual hearings and that some deportees faced “irreparable harm” in their home countries.
In her 42-page opinion, Martinez, appointed by President Obama in 2015, declared the mass deportation “unconstitutionally expedited” and ordered the government to “immediately arrange the return of all individuals aboard the flight to U.S. soil pending further review.” She cited humanitarian concerns and potential flaws in ICE’s vetting process, asserting that “the government’s blanket approach risks punishing the innocent alongside the guilty.”
The decision has provoked a fierce backlash. House Speaker Mike Johnson called it “a slap in the face to every American victimized by these predators,” vowing to introduce legislation to block the plane’s return. On X, trending sentiments echoed this outrage, with users branding Martinez’s ruling “insane” and accusing her of prioritizing criminals over citizens.
South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace, who authored the Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act, told reporters, “This judge wants rapists and child abusers back in our neighborhoods—it’s unconscionable.”
ICE officials confirmed the deportees were primarily from Central America and Mexico, with criminal histories verified through state and federal records. Among them was Juan Morales-Cruz, a Honduran national convicted of raping a Maryland resident in 2019, whom ICE had arrested as part of its 153rd noncitizen sex offender takedown in the state this fiscal year.
Another, Miguel Ortiz-Gomez, a Mexican national, had been convicted of molesting a Missouri minor before illegally reentering the U.S. after a prior deportation. Their return, critics argue, undermines public safety efforts championed by Trump’s administration.
Democrats and immigrant advocates, however, hailed the ruling as a victory for justice. Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) praised Martinez for “upholding the Constitution against vigilante-style deportations,” while the ACLU’s lead counsel, Leila Hassan, argued that “mass expulsions without due process are a relic of authoritarianism.”
They contend that some deportees may have been misclassified or faced persecution abroad, though specifics remain scarce pending individual case reviews ordered by the court.