http://www.kimt.com/servlet/Satellite?p ... 9447&path=

Traffic Bust Nabs Immigrants
Anthony Welsch
Cerro Gordo County, IA (KIMT)
Friday, September 8, 2006

A routine traffic stop in our area nets 12 people the Iowa State Patrol believes to be illegal immigrants. All 12 have been taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and as of Friday morning are in jail in Des Moines.

They were traveling in an Astro van on Interstate 35 near the Swaledale exit Thursday after when Trooper Durk Pearston pulled them over for having tinted windows beyond the legal limit.

"The first thought I had was this is kind of weird because I see heads on the floor laying in between the seats. My first thought was just, you know, figure out who they all were," Preaston said.

Inside the car were all 12 alleged illegals.

"The driver had no D.L. (driver's license), no insurance and his van was packed with a bunch of Mexican people," Pearston said.

So several squad cars from the State Patrol escorted the van back to the Clear Lake Police Department. A translator spoke with the passengers and confirmed they were in the country without papers and were illegal.

"It's hard to believe, they're awfully young kids. But they say they're 20 years old," Joe Delafuete, the translator and Clear Lake resident said.

He says the group was on their way from Kansas City to the Twin Cities before getting pulled over in our area.

"The driver told me his cousin lives in Minneapolis," Delafuete said.

After waiting for about 6 hours in and outside the Clear Lake Police Department, many local residents stopped by. Some, even offered a meal to the group.

Meanwhile, the State Troopers were waiting on word from the I.C.E. agents if this case would be worth their time or if they'd have to let the group go free.

"You have to have a certain number of them I'm told, to even have them make the trip up here to take care of it," Pearston said.

Apparently, 12 was enough. At about 10:15 I.C.E. agents began to load the passengers into a Department of Homeland Security van to take them down to Des Moines where they'll face an immigration judge. They could be deported, released on bail, or held in jail. If deported, they'd probably return to their homes in Southern Mexico in about 2 weeks.

It all started with a routine traffic stop.

"Tinted windows? That'll be $69.80," Pearston said.

But for these passengers, the trip quickly became much more costly.