U.S. will seek to deport captain of boat that capsized in New York, killing mom and baby

Prosecutors allege Manuel Hernandez was illegally operating the boat at the time of the accident. The Department of Homeland Security said he is in the U.S. illegally.

The federal government will look to deport a man accused of illegally operating a boat that capsized in New York Harbor this month, killing a woman and her infant daughter.

Manuel Ernesto Hernandez-Umana, a native of El Salvador, illegally entered the U.S. through Texas in 2007 after having falsely told a Customs and Border Protection officer that he was a U.S. citizen, the Department of Homeland Security said in a news release Wednesday.

Hernandez, 46, of Manville, New Jersey, was charged with two counts of misconduct and neglect of a ship officer resulting in death after the boat capsized near Liberty Island on Aug. 8. Sara Sanchez, 27, and her 5-month-old daughter, Antonella Garcia, were killed.

“Once he faces justice for his crimes, we will make sure that he is swiftly removed from our country,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement accompanying the news release.

Hernandez’s attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday night. Hernandez was released on $50,000 bail following a hearing Aug. 10, at which he was not required to enter a plea, NBC New York reported.