Melissa Dubose Orders Interpol Release of Bryan Rafael Gomez
U.S. District Court Judge Melissa Dubose ordered the release of Bryan Rafael Gomez on April 28, 2026, after granting his habeas petition in Rhode Island. The order came despite a Department of Homeland Security statement calling Gomez a criminal illegal alien from the Dominican Republic with an international warrant for homicide, a clash that now moves into a bond hearing before an immigration judge.
Dubose’s April 28 order
Dubose wrote, “The Court ORDERS the Government to release Petitioner TODAY (April 28, 2026). Petitioner is entitled to a bond hearing, which shall be held no sooner than 30 days from the date of this Order, April 28, 2026. The Government shall set minimal release conditions that will reasonably assure his appearance at the bond hearing,” according to the order. She also modified the order to permit Gomez’s transfer to the Boston ICE Field Office in Burlington, Massachusetts, and required that all of Gomez’s property be returned.
Gomez had been arrested by Worcester Police on April 4 on assault and battery charges. ICE arrested him after he posted $500 bail. DHS says Gomez entered the United States illegally in 2022, was encountered by U.S. Border Patrol near Lukeville, Arizona, and was later released by the Biden administration.
DHS raises criminal-history claims
After a DHS press release described Gomez’s criminal background and said Dominican authorities had issued an arrest warrant for murder, Dubose set a show-cause hearing for Monday at 3 p.m. She ordered the respondents to explain why they should not be held in contempt for failing to notify the court of facts relevant to Gomez’s dangerousness and criminal history. The judge wrote, “Failing to provide this Court with relevant and material facts threatens public safety and erodes trust in the rule of law.”
Acting DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis responded with two statements that accused Dubose of freeing a wanted man. Bis said, “Bryan Rafael Gomez is a criminal illegal alien from the Dominican Republic with an international warrant for homicide. An activist judge appointed by Joe Biden released this wanted murderer back into American communities.” Bis also said, “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 communities. Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, DHS will continue to fight for the removal of criminal illegal aliens who have no right to be in our country,”
Monday’s contempt hearing
The practical shift for Gomez is immediate: Dubose ordered his release on April 28, but the case now turns on whether the court finds the government withheld material information about his background before the bond process. Monday’s 3 p.m. hearing will test that question first, while the bond hearing must come no sooner than 30 days from the order.
