BATON ROUGE — Louisiana's attorney general on Thursday decried the recent release of four noncitizens from a holding center in Angola after they claimed the federal government violated their rights to due process.

Francisco Romero, 72; Ricardo Chomat, 61; Luis Gaston Sanchez, 66; and Ibrahim Mohammed, 43; were being held in a part of the Louisiana State Penitentiary set aside last year to house people who were in the United States without authorization. 

U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles said that while the four had criminal records, the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement allowed them to remain in the country.

"Each was convicted of a crime, and each served his sentence," deGravelles wrote last week. "And then ICE itself determined that each should be released into regular, free civilian life.

"ICE found that each of these men was not a flight risk, each was nonviolent and likely to remain nonviolent," deGravelles wrote. "The government may detain a noncitizen only for as long as is 'reasonable necessary' to effectuate deportation. ... But the government may not, consistent with the Due Process Clause, detain a noncitizen indefinitely."

The four claim ICE didn't follow its own procedures when it decided to detain them again, and argued that because their deportation was not "reasonably foreseeable" they should be released. The order here is similar to those reached by other judges around the country.

Attorney General Liz Murrill said it was "a shame" that federal judges were blocking President Donald Trump's "clear mandate" to deport criminal illegal aliens.

"Every citizen of our State should be extremely concerned that these dangerous criminal illegal immigrants were released back into our communities. It’s absolutely unacceptable," she said.

Government lawyers filed their paperwork under seal. Murrill's office did not know the men's criminal histories but referred WBRZ to a statement from a Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, which mentioned rape, murder, assault and robbery. 

The judge said that despite their records, the men had become productive citizens.

According to the judge, 
-Romero fled Cuba in 1980s, lived in Puerto Rico for 28 years and regularly checked in with ICE until he was detained in August,
-Chomat fled Cuba on a U.S.-backed "Freedom Flight" in 1973 at age 9 and did authorized work as a landscaper and mechanic in Florida until being detained last June,
-Sanchez arrived on a "Freedom Flight" from Cuba at age 7 and held an authorized job until being detained in June in Florida, and
-Mohammed received protection from deportation to Ethiopia under the Convention Against Torture policy but was detained after 11 years in the U.S. last July.

At various times, the Angola facility housing immigrants has been referred to as Camp 47, Camp 57 and "Louisiana Lockup." Trump is the 47th U.S. president and Jeff Landry is Louisiana's 57th governor.