20 illegal aliens apprehended on I-80
Lee Hermiston • Iowa City Press-Citizen • April 9, 2009

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Officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement apprehended 20 illegal aliens after a routine traffic stop on Interstate 80 Thursday morning.



However, Tim Counts, ICE spokesman for the 5-state jurisdiction that includes Iowa, said little information was available about the illegal aliens on Thursday.


Coralville Police Lt. Shane Kron said a Coralville officer initiated the traffic stop at 9:10 a.m. Kron said the officer pulled over a white Ford Econoline van for going 15 mph over the 55 mph speed limit at the 241 mile marker on Interstate 80. The van stopped at the 244 mile marker near the Dubuque Street exit in Iowa City.


Kron said the officer spoke with the driver, but the driver’s answers weren't adding up, drawing suspicions from the officer. Kron said the windows of the van were blacked out so the officer could not see the back of the van. Kron said the officer called Iowa City Police to request that their narcotics dog come out to see if there were drugs in the van.


While the dog was in route, the driver of the van admitted there were 11 people in the back of the van. However, when the officer ordered all of the people out of the van, a total of 20 people, including the driver, got out. Kron said he didn’t know the exact make up of the group of people, but said it was a mix of men and women and no children.


The officer was suspicious about the immigration status of the group and called officers from the ICE Cedar Rapids office, Kron said. About 25 minutes later, the ICE officers arrived and took the group of people Kron said.


Counts said the group was transferred to temporary holding rooms at the ICE Cedar Rapids office. He said they would be transferred to a local jail to stay overnight.


Because the group was arrested on administrative charges for being in the country illegally, rather than criminal charges, their names would not be released, Counts said. Counts said interviews were being conducted with the individuals on Thursday, but those interviews would likely take, “many hours.â€