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DHS Seeks Death Penalty for Smugglers Charged in Fatal California Boat Incident

Two Mexican nationals face capital charges after a capsized vessel left three migrants dead and seven missing off Del Mar Beach, California.

El bote recuperado en la playa Torrey Pines en San Diego, California, el 5 de mayo del 2025. (AP foto/Denis Poroy)
Kristi Noem, Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security makes opening statements during a House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security Oversight Hearing on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in the Rayburn House office building in Washington, DC, on Tuesday May 6, 2025.
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Overview

  • Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has formally requested the Department of Justice pursue the death penalty for two Mexican nationals, Jesus Ivan Rodriguez-Leyva and Julio Cesar Zuniga-Luna, charged with human smuggling resulting in death.
  • The capsized boat, carrying 16 migrants, overturned off Del Mar Beach on May 5, killing three people, including a 14-year-old Indian boy, and leaving seven others missing.
  • Federal prosecutors have charged Rodriguez-Leyva and Zuniga-Luna with bringing in aliens resulting in death, a capital offense under U.S. law, and smuggling for financial gain.
  • The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search for the missing migrants after recovering three deceased individuals and rescuing four survivors from the incident.
  • Secretary Noem emphasized the administration's hardline stance on immigration enforcement, calling the tragedy a reminder of the dangers of maritime smuggling and vowing accountability for those responsible.