Jorge Marquez Flores, husband of “Tiger King” star Joe Exotic, has been deported to Mexico following his release from a Texas prison, TMZ has confirmed.
A representative for Joe Exotic said that Flores, 33, was transferred to an ICE detention center on Thursday, May15, where he underwent a hearing to determine whether he would remain in the United States or be deported. He was subsequently returned to Mexico just hours after the hearing.
The deportation was foreshadowed in a post shared by Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, on social media. He noted that Flores had been taken to the ICE facility and awaited a final decision. “Never been more proud of someone. Meet my husband, Jorge Flores Maldonado,” Joe wrote in a previous post.
The couple got engaged in October 2024 and were married behind bars in April 2025, while both were serving prison sentences. Flores had been incarcerated for immigration-related offenses, while Joe Exotic is currently serving a 21-year sentence for a murder-for-hire plot targeting animal rights activist Carole Baskin.
Joe has previously raised concerns about his husband’s legal status in the U.S., disclosing that they were pursuing asylum for Flores. Despite those efforts, Joe has said the couple intended to leave the United States once they had both completed their prison terms.
Flores’ deportation marks another chapter in the unconventional and highly publicized life of the former zoo operator, whose Netflix fame continues to generate headlines.
