Greg Steube Files Impeachment Against Judge Over Plane Hijacker Release

Republican Congressman Greg Steube filed articles of impeachment against Senior U.S. District Judge John E. Steele on July 16 for ordering the release of convicted Cuban plane hijacker Maikel Guerra Morales from ICE custody. Judge Steele, 77, died suddenly the same day, hours after the impeachment motion was introduced. The judge had ruled on July 8 that Morales must be released, citing a Supreme Court precedent on prolonged immigration detention.

Why Steube filed the impeachment

Steube accused Judge Steele of committing high crimes and misdemeanors under House Resolution 1431. Steube said the judge had every legal justification to keep Morales in custody but chose to release him instead. The congressman stated this was activist judicial overreach that put criminal aliens ahead of public safety. The Department of Homeland Security also condemned the ruling, with DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis calling it an attempt to thwart the Trump administration’s mandate to remove criminal illegal aliens.

The plane hijacking and conviction

Maikel Guerra Morales was part of a group that assaulted a flight crew and hijacked a Cuban commuter aircraft in 2003. The hijackers forced the pilot to fly more than 100 miles north to Key West International Airport in Monroe County, Florida. Morales was arrested by U.S. Marshals, convicted of aircraft piracy and conspiracy to interfere with a flight crew, and sentenced to 22 years in prison. After completing his sentence, ICE detained him in December 2025 while pursuing his removal from the country.

Judge Steele’s reasoning for the release

Judge Steele, a Clinton appointee, cited a Supreme Court ruling governing detention of foreign nationals whose removal cannot be carried out. He wrote that the government cannot lock individuals in a cell indefinitely as a workaround for stalled deportation. Steele found no significant likelihood that Morales would be removed in the reasonably foreseeable future, as ICE had not provided evidence it communicated with Mexico about sending him there. He ordered Morales released under supervision pending deportation efforts.

Judge Steele’s sudden death

Judge John E. Steele died on July 16, the same day Steube filed the impeachment motion. A law clerk for Chief Judge Marcia Morales Howard of the Middle District of Florida confirmed the death. The circumstances and cause of death were not immediately disclosed. No indication of foul play has been reported by authorities.

Final Thoughts

Steube’s impeachment motion against Judge Steele over the plane hijacker release sparked immediate controversy within the Trump administration. The judge’s sudden death on the same day ended the impeachment proceeding, leaving the case unresolved.

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