Kristi Noem urges death penalty for those charged over panga boat smuggling tragedy
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said she is urging the Justice Department to pursue the death penalty against two Mexican nationals charged with smuggling people into the U.S. illegally, leading to the deaths of at least three people when a panga boat capsized near San Diego.
The Coast Guard initially said two people were detained on suspicion of smuggling. They were identified on May 6 as Julio Cesar Zuniga Luna, 30, and Jesus Juan Rodriguez Leyva, 36. Three others were later arrested and face related charges. Noem said she wants the maximum penalty of death for the two charged with bringing migrants in illegally, resulting in death.
"This tragedy is a stark reminder of the inhumanity and lethal danger inherent to human smuggling at sea. Their deaths were not only avoidable but were also the direct result of the greed and indifference of smugglers who exploited them," Noem said in a statement on May 6.
"Those who knowingly place human lives at grave risk in furtherance of such crimes must be held fully accountable."
What happened to the panga boat?
The panga-style boat washed up near Torrey Pines State Beach, about 30 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, early in the morning on May 5. Three people were found dead, including a 14-year-old boy from India. Another four people were injured and taken for treatment, including the boy's father who is in a coma and mother who is also hospitalized, officials said.
The boy's 10-year-old sister is still missing and presumed dead, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California said.
Authorities said between seven and nine people believed to be on the boat were missing. The Coast Guard said it called off an extensive search of the water and land in the area.
Indian passports were found where the boat washed up.
Five charged in smuggling operation
Later on May 5, Border Patrol agents spotted a vehicle in Chula Vista about 25 miles away that was also spotted at the beach when the panga boat overturned, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. The driver fled the scene but was apprehended, along with two other drivers believed to be involved. Eight of the nine missing migrants were also located.
Mexican nationals Melissa Jenelle Cota, 33; Gustavo Lara, 32; and Sergio Rojas-Fregosa, 31; were arrested and charged with transporting migrants and being a deported migrant found in the U.S. The maximum penalty for those crimes is 10 years and two years, respectively.
Zuniga Luna and Rodriguez Leyva each face charges of bringing in migrants resulting in death, which carries a maximum punishment of death or life in prison, and bringing in migrants for financial gain, which has a maximum punishment of another 10 years.
"The drowning deaths of these children are a heartbreaking reminder of how little human traffickers care about the costs of their deadly business," U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said in a statement. "We are committed to seeking justice for these vulnerable victims, and to holding accountable any traffickers responsible for their deaths."
Contributing: Thao Nguyen and Terry Collins, Paste BN; Reuters