Tiger King Joe Exotic’s husband arrested by ICE: Who is Jorge Marquez Flores?
Jorge Marquez Flores was deported to Mexico shortly after his release despite Joe Exotic's pleas for mercy to former President Trump.
Joe Exotic, the star of the Netflix hit series Tiger King, has revealed that his husband, Jorge Marquez Flores, has been taken to an ICE detention centre. The 62-year-old, whose real name is Joseph Allen Maldonado, expressed his distress over the situation, appealing to former President Donald Trump for mercy. In a heartfelt plea, Joe Exotic stated that he has already "suffered enough" and asked for his husband’s release.
Who is Exotic’s prison husband, Jorge Marquez Flores?
Taking it to Instagram, where Exotic posted a picture of himself and his husband, he wrote, “They have officially taken him to an ICE detention centre for his hearing to either stay in America or go back to Mexico. "@potus @stephenm don't you think between losing my life's work.” He continued, “My parents and now this that I've suffered enough and it's time to watch season 2 of Tiger King and see they admitted on world television the committed perjury and let me go?" The post came on Saturday, May 17, 2025.
Exotic and Floresmet for the first time inside the federal prison during their serving period. The latter was imprisoned in 2024 for illegally reentering the U.S. after a prior deportation, according to federal court documents obtained by The U.S. Sun. He was reportedly driving a vehicle carrying six other undocumented immigrants across the border. Meanwhile, Exotic is serving the fifth year of a 21-year sentence for a 2019 conviction in a murder-for-hire plot targeting his rival, Carole Baskin.
He announced their engagement in October, along with both of them donning wedding ring tattoos as a symbol of their love and commitment, as told by Exotic to Radar at the time. This was followed by their wedding took place at the Federal Medical Centre in Fort Worth, Texas. He also revealed that with their marriage, he had hopes that Flores would receive US citizenship.
Flores was deported to Mexico
According to TMZ, Flores has been deported to Mexico following his release from a Texas prison. A representative for the Tiger King star confirmed that the 33-year-old was sent back on Friday, just a day after Exotic revealed on social media that Jorge had been taken to an ICE detention centre for a deportation hearing. Despite hopes of staying in the U.S., Jorge was returned to Mexico within hours of the hearing.
