A man residing in Massachusetts who created a firestorm after being released while being wanted for murder has been deported.
Bryan Rafael Gomez, a 27-year-old Dominican national, entered the United States illegally in 2022 after being encountered by Border Patrol near Lukeville, Arizona, and was released. The Dominican Republic issued a criminal arrest warrant for him on January 24th, 2023, in connection with an alleged March 2021 homicide in which he and another man are accused of shooting two people after an argument, killing one.
On April 4th, 2026, Worcester police arrested Gomez on an assault and battery charge involving a former girlfriend. He was released on $500 bail, after which ICE took him into custody. On April 28th, 2026, U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose in Rhode Island ordered his release pending a bond hearing, after Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Bolan did not inform the court of the outstanding homicide warrant from the Dominican Republic. The Department of Homeland Security publicly criticized the release.
After learning of the warrant, DuBose ordered Gomez re-detained. He failed to self-report to ICE as ordered in early May 2026 and remained at large for months.
In July of 2026, Gomez was taken back into custody in Massachusetts, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. ICE indicated it would detain him upon any release by state authorities, and an immigration judge had issued a final order of removal.
On Thursday, ICE Boston announced that Gomez had been removed from the United States on October 20th, 2026.
The case drew attention because of the initial failure to disclose the foreign homicide warrant to the judge and the subsequent months Gómez spent outside of custody before being recaptured.
