Víctor Manuel Álvarez Pug, a Mexican businessman and lawyer known for being the husband of Mexican host Inés Gómez Mont and for having been a fugitive from Mexican justice for several years, was arrested by U.S. immigration authorities in the state of Florida.
As confirmed by official sources cited by El País and federal court documents, his arrest is related to his immigration status, and not directly to the tax charges he faces in Mexico.
ICE detains Víctor Manuel Álvarez Puga
Victor Manuel Alvarez Puga was booked into the Krome North Service Processing Center, an immigration detention center located southwest of Miami, operated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to the public docket of the Southern District Court of Florida, the businessman filed a writ of habeas corpus on October 2, 2025, arguing that he was detained without an individualized bond hearing, which he considers a violation of his rights under U.S. immigration law.
Judicial background in Mexico
Buzzy
Although his detention in the United States is exclusively due to an immigration situation, the name of Víctor Manuel Álvarez Puga has been linked for years to a case of alleged fraud against the Mexican treasury.
The Attorney General’s Office (FGR) accuses him, together with his wife Inés Gómez Mont, of participating in a network of false invoicing and money laundering that would have diverted more than 3 billion pesos (equivalent to approximately 166.7 million U.S. dollars) through contracts with public agencies, mainly the Ministry of the Interior.
In 2021, both were formally charged with organized crime, embezzlement and operations with resources of illicit origin, and since then there has been an Interpol red notice for their international location.
The couple remained outside of Mexico for years, without the authorities confirming their exact whereabouts.
What your U.S. case involves
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Unlike a criminal proceeding, the immigration detention of Victor Manuel Alvarez Puga focuses on his legal status within the country.
If an alien enters or remains in the U.S. without meeting immigration requirements, he or she may be detained by ICE while it determines whether he or she is eligible to remain, apply for asylum, or face a deportation order.
The habeas corpus proceeding filed by the businessman seeks to have a federal judge determine whether ICE should offer him a bond hearing or whether he can be detained indefinitely while his case is processed.
To date, the whereabouts of Inés Gómez Mont are unknown, and it is not known whether she was also arrested along with her husband.
The two share seven children and have kept a low profile since leaving Mexico.
If the Mexican authorities reactivate his extradition request, the U.S. Department of Justice could evaluate the case under the bilateral treaties in force between the two countries.
In the meantime, the federal court must decide whether Victor Manuel Alvarez Puga can be released on bond or remain in immigration custody.
His defense argues that the arrest is not related to any crime committed on U.S. soil.
Su caso sirve de ejemplo para miles de inmigrantes que viven en EE. UU. bajo situaciones irregulares o con trámites pendientes
QuéOnnda.com
