Former Washington Post reporter Jose Vargas -- the openly gay journalist who wrote the explosive essay “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant,” in which he described the lengths he went to to remain in the country he has called home since he was sent here as a 12-year-old -- was arrested in the Twin Cities for driving without a valid license, a misdemeanor. MinnPost reports that Minnesota participates in a Bush administration initiative by which local law enforcement notifies U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials when they believe they have arrested an illegal alien, "In response, ICE routinely places deportation holds on undocumented individuals, whether or not the offense they are suspected of merits booking into the jail. Law enforcement participation is voluntary,." although it is unclear whether or not this was done in his case.
Vargas wrote in his piece that when he finally was able to procure a valid driver's license -- in Oregon, where it was good for eight years -- it seems like "all the time in the world" for the United States to sort out its immigration policies. If only ...
UPDATE: Politico reports:
Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Monday defended its decision not to take any action against Jose Vargas, a journalist and activist who went public last year that he was an undocumented immigrant, after he was arrested by state patrol in Minnesota for a driving infraction. “Mr. Vargas was not arrested by ICE, nor did the agency issue a detainer,” said ICE spokeswoman Gillian Christensen in a statement. “ICE is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that prioritizes the removal of public safety threats, recent border crossers and egregious immigration law violators, such as those who have been previously removed from the United States.”
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