U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested a Honduran national last month following a head-on collision in Prince George’s County, Md., that left a U.S. citizen with life-threatening injuries, federal officials said.
ICE Baltimore arrested Kevin Alexis Mendez-Ortiz on Nov. 25 during a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Oxon Hill. According to ICE, Mendez-Ortiz is an illegal alien from Honduras who entered the United States unlawfully in 2022 and was later involved in a serious traffic crash that sent a Maryland woman to the hospital.
ICE said Mendez-Ortiz illegally crossed the border near Hidalgo, Texas, on Sept. 30, 2022, where U.S. Border Patrol arrested him. He was issued a notice to appear the same day and released into the country on his own recognizance.
The crash occurred on Nov. 9, when Mendez-Ortiz was traveling eastbound on a Maryland roadway and crossed into oncoming westbound traffic, striking another vehicle head-on, according to authorities. Police said he fled the scene following the collision.
The passenger in the other vehicle, a woman who requested anonymity, suffered extensive injuries, including broken vertebrae, fractured ribs, a broken collarbone and wrist, internal organ injuries, a ruptured diaphragm, a collapsed lung, and a concussion. Officials said she faces a lengthy recovery.
On Nov. 12, the Prince George’s County Police Department cited Mendez-Ortiz for multiple violations, including driving without a license, failure to remain at the scene of an accident involving bodily injury, failure to provide insurance information, unsafe lane changes, failure to maintain proper lane position, and failure to control vehicle speed to avoid a collision.
“This tragic incident underscores why ICE remains steadfast in its mission to identify, apprehend, and remove illegal aliens who pose a threat to public safety,” ICE Baltimore Acting Field Office Director Jeremy Bacon said in a statement. “A U.S. citizen suffered devastating injuries because of the reckless behavior of an illegal alien who had no lawful right to be in our country.”
Bacon added that ICE Baltimore hopes for the victim’s full recovery and will continue working with law enforcement partners to address public safety threats.
ICE said Mendez-Ortiz remains in federal custody pending further immigration proceedings.
