11/26/08 |
5 illegal aliens charged in plan to get to Canada
By Judy Harrison
BDN Staff

BANGOR, Maine — One of five Mexican nationals taken into custody Monday at a Houlton motel has been charged with being in the country illegally.

Israel Cervantes-Medina, 26, whose hometown did not appear in court documents, was charged Tuesday in U.S. District Court with re-entry after deportation. He was ordered removed in September 2007 by an immigration judge in El Paso, Texas, according to court documents.

Cervantes-Medina told agents with the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement that he returned to the U.S. illegally in July.

He is expected to be held without bail until his case is resolved.

The four other Mexicans, who reportedly worked as carpet and tile layers, were being processed Tuesday for removal, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Bangor. If they return to the U.S. illegally, they could be charged with re-entry after deportation as their companion has been.

The five illegal aliens, according to court documents, were spotted Monday morning by a border patrol agent who reported seeing them “loiteringâ€