Boston, MA – Judge Shelley M. Richmond Joseph is at the center of a legal firestorm after being formally accused of misconduct for allegedly helping a previously deported illegal migrant escape U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.

The controversy dates back to 2018, when Dominican national Jose Medina-Perez appeared at Newton District Court on drug charges and a fugitive warrant from Pennsylvania. Medina-Perez had already been deported twice and was barred from reentering the United States until 2027. Despite this, he reportedly left the courthouse undetected — triggering nationwide outrage.