University police turn over illegal immigrant to federal authorities (The Daily Northwestern)

University police turn over illegal immigrant to federal authorities

Adam Sege
Issue date: 4/28/09 Section: City

University police turned over an undocumented immigrant to federal officials Sunday after arresting the suspect during a traffic stop, authorities said.

An officer pulled over the suspect at 3:48 a.m., suspecting that he was driving under the influence of alcohol. The traffic stop occurred at the intersection of Ridge Avenue and Noyes Street. The driver, Ramiro Sanchez-Zepeda, 25, was unable to provide a valid driver's license, Cmdr. Darren Davis said.

Sanchez-Zepeda had no visa and could not prove that he was either a United States citizen or in the country legally, Davis said.

UP contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and detained Sanchez-Zepeda overnight, Davis said. Officials took Sanchez-Zepeda into custody Monday.

The federal agency is investigating whether he is eligible for deportation, Davis said.

Sanchez-Zepeda's blood alcohol concentration was above the legal limit of 0.08, the UP crime report shows, and his vehicle was uninsured. Due to the deportation proceedings, police have dropped all traffic charges.

UP referrals to immigration officials are "infrequent," Davis said. Evanston Police could not be reached for comment, but police in the city have not traditionally investigated immigrant status, 7th Ward alderman and mayor-elect Elizabeth Tisdahl told the Daily in January.

Immigration enforcement has been a controversial issue in Evanston city government.

Last winter, the city council approved a symbolic resolution calling for the "humane and just" treatment of immigrants. The council had discussed forbidding city police officers from charging individuals with crimes based on their immigrant status, but this was not included in the final ordinance.