The Trump administration deported a fugitive illegal immigrant who landed on the shores of California on a boat as officials warn about the dangers of smuggling by sea, The Daily Wire has learned.
Octavio Jorge Cortes-Jiminez had a warrant for attempted femicide in his home country of Mexico, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He fled in a panga-style boat packed with eight other illegal immigrants and landed in American waters near San Diego on August 12, when he was caught by the Coast Guard.
The group was later transferred to the custody of Border Patrol, who discovered that Cortes-Jiminez had an active warrant for his arrest, DHS said. ICE handed him over to Mexican authorities on October 16.
“ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations San Diego remains committed to removing illegal aliens who are wanted abroad for serious criminal charges,” Jesus Rocha, the acting Field Office Director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in San Diego, said in a statement.
“Our coordination with domestic and international law enforcement partners helps protect communities and ensures fugitives are returned to face justice,” Rocha said.
During a recent press conference in Miami, White House border czar Tom Homan emphasized the need for border security along American waterways, where he said there’s more work to be done.
Many migrants taking to the sea are staging in the Bahamas and British Virgin Islands, he said.
“We knew once we locked down the Southern border, they were gonna take to the waterways, they were gonna take to the air, they were gonna take to Canada to try to come across,” Homan said.
Between October 2021 and September 2023, the Coast Guard saw the highest levels of maritime migration in more than 30 years, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
In fiscal year 2022, between October 2021 and September 2022, the agency interdicted roughly 12,500 migrants and another roughly 12,500 the following fiscal year.
The Coast Guard interdicted 4,228 illegal immigrants in fiscal year 2025, which started in October 2024 and ended in September 2025.
Despite the decrease in interdictions, officials said there’s more work to be done.
“There are vulnerabilities; you are not as locked down as the Southern border. So we’re going to work very hard these next two years to make sure the maritime and the air has the resources, technology, and boots on the ground that they need to secure this maritime border,” Homan said.
