Federal Judge Issues Court Order Accusing Trump Admin Of Being ‘Bereft Of Human Decency’

A Clinton-appointed federal judge ordered the release of a 5-year-old boy and his father from immigration detention Saturday while accusing the Trump administration of cruelty and lawlessness.

U.S. District Judge Fred Biery issued a three-page ruling that granted habeas corpus to Adrian Conejo Arias and his son Liam, according to court documents filed in the Western District of Texas. The 78-year-old judge wrote that “the perfidious lust for unbridled power and the imposition of cruelty in its quest know no bounds and are bereft of human decency.”

“And the rule of law be damned,” Biery added. (RELATED: Trump Sends Tom Homan To Minnesota Amidst Anti-ICE Mayhem)

The ruling contained several unusual elements that drew immediate criticism. Conservative commentator Dustin Grage called it “legitimately the most unhinged ruling” on X, pointing to the judge‘s use of the phrase “judicial finger in the constitutional dike,” an impossible date of “February 31, 2026,” and the inclusion of a child’s photograph with Bible verse citations.

Legitimately the most unhinged ruling.

1) “With a judicial finger in the constitutional dike,”

2) Signed a date that doesn’t exist.

3) Adds a photo with a Bible verse.

What? pic.twitter.com/HMLPC6dfks

— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) February 1, 2026

The verses referenced Matthew 19:14 and John 11:35. The first contains Jesus’s words about letting children come to him. The second simply states “Jesus wept.”

Biery also compared the Trump administration to King George III by quoting grievances from the Declaration of Independence, according to the court document. He accused the government of needing a “civics lesson” on the Fourth Amendment.

The Department of Homeland Security pushed back forcefully. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News that “the facts in this case have NOT changed” and called claims that agents used the child as “bait” an “abject lie.”

McLaughlin said the father “fled on foot, abandoning his child” when ICE agents approached on Jan. 20 in Minnesota.

The ruling comes as the White House has voiced support for impeaching judges it considers “rogue,” according to Fox News. A White House official told the outlet that “left-wing, activist judges have gone totally rogue” and are “undermining the rule of law.”

Biery previously drew conservative criticism when Newt Gingrich called him “an anti-religious, dictatorial bigot” over a 2011 school prayer ruling, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

The judge ordered the father and son released by Feb. 3.