Inés Gómez Mont files habeas corpus in US court

Television host Inés Gómez Mont filed a habeas corpus petition in a federal court in Florida on October 31, challenging her ongoing immigration detention by United States authorities following her arrest in Miami.

Detention in Miami Following Visa Expiration

United States immigration authorities took Inés Gómez Mont into custody in Miami, Florida, after her tourist visa expired. UnoTV noted that her official record in the system of Immigration and Customs Enforcement places her at the Broward Transitional Center located in Pompano Beach.

The television presenter asked the federal judiciary in the United States to release her from immigration custody. Her defense counsel submitted the habeas corpus demand to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida on October 31. This judicial remedy allows a detained individual to request a court review of the legal basis for their confinement.

Judge Kuntz Rejects Emergency Motion to Block Transfer

Alongside the habeas corpus petition, defense attorneys filed an emergency motion to prevent immigration officials from transferring Gómez Mont to a different detention facility while her case is under review. The legal filing incorporated documents concerning the medical treatment of one of her daughters, which the defense used to argue that she should remain in the Miami area.

District Jeffrey Kuntz rejected the emergency request to block a potential transfer.

Judge Kuntz directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement and related authorities to submit arguments justifying the necessity of keeping Gómez Mont detained. The court established a deadline of Wednesday, November 4, for the government to respond.

Extradition Requests and Prior Legal Actions in Mexico

While contesting her detention in Florida, Gómez Mont and her husband, Víctor Manuel Álvarez Puga, face outstanding arrest warrants in Mexico for alleged organized crime, operations with illicit resources, and tax fraud. Investigations target an alleged scheme involving the diversion of public funds from prison construction contracts, totaling approximately 17 million pesos.

In November 2019, the Fiscalía Especializada en materia de Delincuencia Organizada opened an inquiry into the couple, five other individuals, and seven companies over simulated commercial contracts. Subsequently, in 2022, the Fiscalía General de la República informed about the arrest warrants for the main involved parties, prompting an extradition request from the Mexican government to the United States.

Víctor Manuel Álvarez Puga was also taken into custody by United States immigration authorities on September 24, 2025. He previously filed a habeas corpus petition and sought asylum on July 11, 2022. Weeks after his initial detention, his name disappeared from the records of the facility where he was held, leaving his exact current whereabouts unclear according to reporting from Univision.

Immigration Authorities Must Justify Detention by November 4

The habeas corpus petition filed on behalf of Inés Gómez Mont remains under seal, keeping the specific legal arguments advanced by her defense outside the public record.

The immediate next step depends on the response due by November 4, when immigration authorities must present justifications for the detention to Jeffrey Kuntz. Whether the federal court will order her release or maintain her custody at the Broward Transitional Center remains undecided.