One person was killed and another was hurt when an illegal immigrant crashed a semi along a highway in Colorado last week, according to officials. This person has a long history of being sent back to his home country.
Ignacio Cruz-Mendoza, 47, from Mexico, is being charged with murder and careless driving in connection with the crash on June 11.
The Colorado State Patrol (CSP) said Mendoza lost control of the semi while hauling a load of steep pipe on Hwy 285 near Conifer. The truck then went off the road and rolled over on its side.
Five other cars were hit by a load of pipe and angle iron that fell off the semi. CSP said one person was killed and another was badly hurt. Mendoza did not get hurt.
The accident blocked the highway in both ways, and it stayed closed for more than 12 hours while crews worked to clear the road.
Cruz-Mendoza was given a ticket and taken to the Jefferson County Jail. CSP said he doesn’t live in the area.
A representative for ICE stated that Cruz-Mendoza has been sent back to Mexico many times, going back more than twenty years. Someone from ICE said that the first time they heard of Cruz-Mendoza was when he was arrested in Jefferson County, Oregon, in April 2002 on local charges.
On May 29, 2002, an immigration judge told Cruz-Mendoza to go back to Mexico. ICE said that since then, he has been kicked out of the U.S. 16 times or has willingly gone back to Mexico.
Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Denver at ICE has looked into Cruz-Mendoza’s arrest with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and put in a detainer to be told when he might be freed.
According to online court records, Cruz-Mendoza is still being held. The next time he has to go to court is July 30.
