Here Since Childhood, Alamance Co. Librarian Now Faces Deportation
Last Edited: Thursday, 17 Jul 2008, 8:13 PM EDT
Created: Thursday, 17 Jul 2008, 5:12 PM EDT

By CARON MYERS
FOX8 News

ALAMANCE COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) -- An Alamance County librarian who has been in the U.S. illegally since she was 3 years old was arrested at her job by federal agents earlier this week.

During an investigation of the Alamance County Health Department, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent received information from the county Sheriff's Office regarding the status of Marxavi Angel Martinez, 23.

"This is one of those cases when the information came up, it's something the county is not going to turn their head to when there's a violation of the law," said said Alamance County Sheriff public information officer Randy Jones.

Martinez's husband, Marcos Miranda, said the two attended Cummings High School together. They married two years ago and have a 15-month-old son.

"I don't know ... maybe we do something wrong, but we only have to have a future for my son," Miranda said.

The criminal complaint filed against Martinez in U.S. District Court indicates the librarian was using a deceased person's Social Security number and was paying taxes on her vehicles.

Martinez is now facing deportation. Miranda said his wife has no memory of living in her native country Mexico, nor does she have immediate family there.

"When she came to the United States, how old was she?" asked Miranda. "3 years old."

A spokesperson for ICE said the agents are simply doing their jobs, which include enforcing the immigration laws that are on the books.

"We are not anti-immigration in this county whatsoever," said Jones. "But we're going to continue to be anti-criminal. I don't back away from that, I don't think any of us here do."

http://www.myfoxwghp.com/myfox/pages...d=1.1.1&sflg=1