ICE Returns Man to Mexico After Coast Guard Intercepted Undocumented Boat
Authorities deported Octavio Jorge Cortés Jiménez, who faced a pending arrest warrant for aggravated battery against a hotel receptionist.
By Harper Foster ·
US Customs and Border Protection handed Octavio Jorge Cortés Jiménez over to Mexican authorities on October 16, 2026, following his interception off the coast of San Diego.
Cortés Jiménez was detained on August 12, 2026, when the US Coast Guard stopped a panga boat near San Diego. The vessel carried nine migrants, including Cortés Jiménez, who had no documentation to enter the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that CBP discovered a valid arrest warrant against the suspect while processing the group. The warrant was issued by Mexican authorities for attempted femicide, a charge later reclassified as aggravated battery.
ICE assumed custody of the suspect and held him at the Otay Mesa detention center for over two months. Jesús Rocha, the acting director of the local ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations office, said the agency remains committed to removing foreigners sought for serious criminal charges abroad.
Rocha stated that coordination with national and international police forces helps protect communities by ensuring fugitives face justice. The agency noted that Mexican officials coordinated the transfer once they learned of the suspect's detention in San Diego.
The incident that led to the warrant occurred on June 29, 2026, inside a hotel in Mexico City. Cortés Jiménez argued with a receptionist, seized two of her phones, and smashed them on the floor. Surveillance cameras recorded him insulting and repeatedly striking the woman.
Mexican prosecutors obtained an arrest order for the assault and requested a Red Notice from Interpol to locate the suspect abroad. Cortés Jiménez is currently in pretrial detention in Mexico to face the charges.
