He Is Mexican, Sent Money to His Family and Ended Up Detained by ICE: The Remittances That Gave Him Away

Remittances revealed a Mexican man’s location

Fiancée recounts emotional detention

Case sets a precedent for ICE

Gregorio Córdova Murrieta, originally from Teziutlán, Puebla, had been living in Hawaii for years and supported his family in Mexico with constant money transfers.

What seemed like an everyday act ended up becoming the key to his detention in June, when agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested him on charges of illegal reentry into the country.

The case has drawn attention because court documents show that ICE used information from his transfers as a tracking tool.

ICE: Mexican Man Remittances Under the Spotlight

Mexican Sent Money to His Family and Ended Up Detained by ICE – PHOTO: shutterstock

The Money Transfers That Gave Gregorio Córdova Murrieta Away

According to the federal criminal complaint, a remittance company identified Gregorio Córdova Murrieta on 11 occasions between 2021 and May 2025, using his Mexican passport.

In each transaction, he listed as an address a home on Kaulainahee Place, Aiea, in Honolulu County.

On June 15, agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) set up surveillance at the location and confirmed it was the migrant.

Finally, they arrested him after presenting a court order.

“He Kissed Me and They Took Him Away”

Gregorio Córdova Murrieta lived in Aiea, Honolulu County, Hawaii, Mexican Detained by ICE. Courtesy of Grace Pérez Parra to Civil Beat

Grace Pérez Parra, the Mexican man’s fiancée, told Civil Beat how the detention unfolded.

She explained that Córdova saw the agents on the security cameras and, when opening the door, asked her to stay calm:

—“He told me: ‘Don’t worry.’ Then he kissed me and they took him away.”

The woman said that for years he sent money to his five children, but more recently he was sending the remittances to his elderly parents and his youngest daughter.

“He is very hardworking, a good person, sincere. A typical Hispanic man trying to make a living,” Pérez added.

You may also be interested in: Want to Send Money to Mexico Without Tax from the U.S.? 50,000 Mexicans in the U.S. Have Already Applied for the Finabien Card

Gregorio Córdova Murrieta Has No Criminal Record

Public defender Jacquelyn Esser confirmed that the only charge against Gregorio Córdova Murrieta is illegal reentry. He has no criminal record in the United States.

Córdova himself decided to plead guilty, not for admitting a serious crime, but for personal reasons.

“Simple reasons,” his fiancée explained: his parents are sick and he wants to see them as soon as possible.

The sentence will be announced on September 9, and he is expected to return to Mexico.

A Precedent in the Use of Data

According to Civil Beat, experts believe Gregorio Córdova Murrieta’s case is the first known case in which remittance information has been used to support an immigration arrest.

The database originally used was designed to investigate financial crimes such as money laundering and drug trafficking, not to track migrants.

What Are Remittances?

Remittances are money transfers that migrants send to their families in their countries of origin.

Among the Hispanic community in the United States, it is a common and essential practice to support parents, children, and entire communities.

Becoming an important key source of household income.

Do you think the use of remittance data to detain migrants should be allowed?

Source: La Nación