JAW-DROPPING: Judge orders release of Venezuelan illegal alien who ICE arrested [VIDEO]

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From Breitbart: A report from ABC7 in Chicago reported that a magistrate judge ordered the release of a Venezuelan man who was arrested in a targeted enforcement operation over the weekend.

Over the weekend, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers, along with other federal agencies, carried out a targeted enforcement operation, Breitbart News reported. The actions were overseen by top officials of the Trump administration, including Border Czar Tom Homan.

According to the report from ABC7, law enforcement officials placed Edward Martinez-Cermeno, 24, into custody on Sunday for illegally entering the United States near Eagle Pass, Texas in 2023.

Martinez-Cermeno reportedly entered the U.S. illegally by crossing the Rio Grande River near Eagle Pass, Texas. His federal defender claimed in court that he fled Venezuela to the United States for his safety, after working as a police officer. He then went to Chicago and has been living with his girlfriend’s parents, Maria and Ruben Occhipinti.

The Occhipintis claim they are “still trying to shake off the trauma of what happened this past Sunday night” when ICE agents appeared at their door and took Martinez-Cermeno away.

Reportedly, Martinez-Cermeno has already established a criminal record since arriving in Chicago.  He was arrested by Chicago police for a felony retail theft charge in January 2024, and a warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to appear in court.  However, this information was reportedly not addressed at all during Tuesday’s hearing over his ICE arrest.

According to the ABC7 Chicago report, the judge claimed that immigration officials did not have the legal paperwork necessary for detaining and deporting the Venezuelan illegal alien.

During the hearing, the judge only addressed the immigration charge against Martinez-Cermeno: 8:1325(A)(1) or “improper entry by alien.”   The judge declared that since this charge is a misdemeanor, not a felony, Martinez-Cermeno should be released while the case proceeds.

ABC7 writes:

The judge concluded Martinez-Cermeno was not a “serious flight risk” in part due to a pending asylum case that is scheduled to be heard in April 2026, and his ties to the community via the Occhipinti family.

After spending roughly 48 hours in federal custody – first at the HSI offices in Lombard, then at the MCC Chicago federal prison – Martinez-Cermeno is scheduled to be released from custody Tuesday evening.

While prosecutors mentioned that there is an “ICE detainer” for Martinez-Cermeno, and that ICE would likely take him into custody upon his release, the judge said this was legally unacceptable as ICE did not have the proper judicial warrant to detain him further, and that an ICE detainer is only a “civil request.”

WATCH THE NEWS REPORT BELOW:

UPDATE: Based on an arrest record posted on social media, it appears that Martinez-Cermeno may have been nabbed again by ICE across the state line in Indiana, soon after his release Tuesday night.

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