Noem calls for death penalty for two Mexican nationals accused of human smuggling

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday night called for the Justice Department to seek the death penalty against two Mexican nationals who were allegedly trying to smuggle people into the United States through California.

The two nationals were allegedly part of a human smuggling operation that left three dead and multiple people missing and injured after their boat capsized off the coast of Del Mar, California, near San Diego on Monday.

Noem said the Mexican nationals were trying to bring 14 other people into the U.S. illegally, and said the nationals are eligible for the death penalty if convicted, because human smuggling operations that end in death are considered capital crimes under the Immigration and Nationality Act, and thereby punishable by death.

“This tragedy is a stark reminder of the inhumanity and lethal danger inherent to human smuggling at sea," Noem said in a statement. "Their deaths were not only avoidable but were also the direct result of the greed and indifference of smugglers who exploited them. 

"Maritime smuggling is not just illegal—it is a violent and inherently dangerous crime," she continued. "Those who knowingly place human lives at grave risk in furtherance of such crimes must be held fully accountable."

She is also seeking the death penalty under the Federal Death Penalty Act that states people who intentionally participate in conduct knowing that it could result in someone's death may be eligible for capital punishment.

The Department of Homeland Security said it was able to confirm the number of people on the boat by talking to surviving individuals. The boat carried14 adults and two children. The three dead have been identified as Indian nationals.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.