Wife of Former Mexican Governor César Duarte Apprehended By ICE in Texas

Bertha Olga Gómez Fong, the wife of former Chihuahua governor César Duarte, was arrested this week by immigration authorities in Texas.

According to reports by El País, her detention is tied to her immigration status in the United States, though she could also be extradited to Mexico, where she faces charges for allegedly taking part in corruption cases linked to her husband.

According to ICE records, Fong was being held at the El Paso Processing Center, and there is no information yet on whether she will be extradited.

Six years ago, Mexican outlet La Jornada reported that a federal judge had issued an arrest warrant for Fong over her alleged complicity with Duarte. She filed an injunction to block any attempt at her arrest and extradition to Mexico, as she was already living in Miami, Florida, at the time, from where Duarte was extradited in July 2020 after being accused of embezzlement and criminal association.

During her husband's time as governor of Chihuahua, Fong served as honorary director of the state's Integral Family Development agency, a role that opened the door to alleged mismanagement of the institution, a practice seen across multiple states and municipalities in Mexico.

After governing from 2010 to 2016, Duarte was accused of money laundering among other charges. He was arrested in Chihuahua by Mexico's Attorney General's Office in December while on conditional release despite facing other corruption-related charges.

According to reports by El País, federal prosecutors allege he laundered more than 73 million pesos, about $4.2 million, between 2011 and 2014.

Following his December arrest, Duarte was sent to the Altiplano prison, one of Mexico's most secure prisons.

In another of the more than 20 cases he faces, Chihuahua prosecutors accused him of diverting 6 billion pesos, more than $300 million, while he has maintained his innocence and claimed he was politically targeted by his successor, Javier Corral, who governed the state from 2016 to 2021, an allegation Corral has denied.

Border Report also reported in December that the former governor is under investigation for allegedly building an illegal dam for private use, which withheld 700,000 cubic meters of water from farmers in Chihuahua. The dam has since been demolished.