Police hold Mexican; immigration officials free him

By Stacy Wolford, VALLEY INDEPENDENT
Saturday, October 8, 2011

Southwest Regional police took custody of a Mexican national with an expired work visa on Friday -- only to release him hours later under orders from federal immigration officials.


The incident began at 3:45 a.m. when Officer Stephen Schwartz stopped a Honda Civic driven by Carlos Xavier Santiago, 27, of 11 Grand Ave., Belle Vernon, at the intersection of Route 906 and Interstate 70 in Belle Vernon.

Police said Santiago ran a stop sign.

The officer became suspicious after checking the driver's license of a passenger in the car, Mauricio De La O Cruz Rivera. Santiago and De La O Cruz Rivera, 39, are roommates, police said.

After police brought the men to the police station, they discovered De La O Cruz Rivera was using a driver's license and a Social Security card issued to Hector Manuel Diaz Rodriguez of North Carolina.

Southwest Regional Chief John Hartman said De La O Cruz Rivera spoke little English, so Santiago and Schwartz helped translate.

"He was pretty quiet and very nervous," Hartman said of De La O Cruz Rivera.

After further questioning, De La O Cruz Rivera admitted buying a fake license and Social Security card in Texas for $1,000, Hartman said. While a passport from Mexico is valid under De La O Cruz Rivera's name, his work visa had expired in January, the chief added.

"He admitted he used the fake ID for employment," said Hartman, adding De La O Cruz Rivera is a welder at Brownsville Marine Products LLC.

Hartman said police contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE.


"A translator from ICE spoke to (De La O Cruz Rivera) and confirmed everything he told us," Hartman said.

The agent from the Pittsburgh ICE bureau told police to release De La O Cruz Rivera, the chief said. No charges were filed, and De La O Cruz Rivera has no criminal record in the United States, he said.

"This is the process, and we followed the proper procedures," Hartman said, adding that the ICE agent said an investigation would follow. "Where it goes from here, we don't know."

Santiago was cited for a traffic violation and driving without a license, Hartman said.


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