Man questioned about immigration status on light rail to be deported

A man questioned by a Metro Transit officer about his immigration status while riding the light rail on May 14, a scene captured in a video viewed more than a million times, will be deported.

Metro Transit Police Chief John Harrington confirmed the reports, first brought to light by the St. Paul Pioneer Press Friday evening, in a statement Saturday.

The police officer in the video seen asking the man, “Are you here illegally?” is no longer employed by Metro Transit, Harrington said.

The video drew outrage from people around the nation who questioned the officer’s right to ask about immigration status. “We also are working to re-establish the trust that was broken by this isolated incident,” Harrington’s statement read.

Ariel Vences-Lopez, a 23-year-old man from Mexico, was arrested May 14 on suspicion of obstructing the legal process, giving an officer a false name and fare evasion, according to Hennepin County jail records. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed an immigration detainer for Vences-Lopez the following day, according to ICE spokesman Shawn Neudauer.

Vences-Lopez was released May 16 from jail and transferred to ICE custody the same day “for immigration violations,” according to Neudauer. A federal immigration judge issued an order for removal May 23.

Comments made Saturday by Harrington and Metropolitan Council Chairman Adam Duininck showed a lack of communication between Metro Transit and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office over the status of Vences-Lopez. Both believed he was no longer in custody and mentioned placing him in a diversion program or dropping the charges. They said they did not know he was in ICE custody until alerted by the media Friday night.

More..

http://www.startribune.com/man-questioned-about-immigration-status-on-st-paul-light-rail-to-be-deported/424802803/

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unbelievable