BANGOR, Maine — Two Central American men arrested Monday in Monticello made their first court appearances Wednesday in U.S. District Court.
Gil Mejia-Baires, 69, of Portland and Ernesto Amadeo Escoto-Kelinton, 43, of Brookneal, Va., were charged with one count each of possession of false identification. Both men are from Honduras.
Both men admitted to arresting officers that they were in the country illegally and had fake Social Security cards, according to the complaint.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Margaret Kravchuk ordered that both men be held without bail until a hearing can be held May 8.
The men drew the attention of an undercover border patrol agent patrolling U.S. Route 1 in the Houlton area because they were in a van with a Virginia license plate. It is unusual for out-of-state vehicles to be in the area on a Monday, according to the complaint.
After Escoto-Kelinton pulled into a parking lot just inside the Monticello town line, the agent followed the van. After questioning the men and examining their documents, he determined they were in the country illegally and had fake documents.
If convicted, the men face up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $25,000. They most likely would be deported and barred from re-entering the U.S. after serving their sentences.
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Why would it be, “unusual for out-of-state vehicles to be in the area on a Monday”? I see out of state vehicles daily.
I’ve been a Mainer all my life, and I agree that people that dont have the legal rights to be in the country shouldn’t get away with it.
“The men drew the attention of an undercover border patrol agent
patrolling U.S. Route 1 in the Houlton area because they were in a van
with a Virginia license plate. It is unusual for out-of-state vehicles
to be in the area on a Monday, according to the complaint.”
If that doesn’t sound like profiling, I dont know what does. In Maine if you see anybody that doesn’t look like they’re from here, we get suspicious. Sad but true.
So does this mean if I’m driving in New York city on a Monday and I have Maine plates does that mean I’m suspicious? This is America, get real.
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But if you were driving a nice fancy car they’d figure you were wealthy and let you cruise on by. But if you drive a piece of crap car, you can bet you’ll see blue lights. Oh and if you look like a mexican, forget about it. Too much stereotyping now a days.
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I was in a parking lot once in Acadia National Park after dark and had quite a discussion with the Park Ranger. I also have been on the Mass Turnpike and had a Massachusetts State Trooper slow down and look at me as I was changing a flat tire in the breakdown lane at 4 in the morning.
It is my belief that Massachusetts has a policy of pulling over only out of state drivers for speeding on 1-90. Having traveled on that highway a lot that seems to be what is going on.
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It is profiling and all though some dont like it, it does serve a purpose. Years ago I was driving in Albany with my friend. Two young white guys in car with Vermont Plates. We drove through on particulary horrible neighborhood and then attempted to get on the New York Thruway. We were stopped and questioned by an Albany Police Officer who told us he had pulled us over as we had been observed driving through a known drug area and not too many white people came to that area unless they were looking for drugs. At the time I was rather upset but as I have gotten older I have come to understand that sometimes things just dont look right or certain things indicate that something might be going on. That happened in 1996.
Im guessing that Monticello is not a big tourist area and if it is, not so much in late April. Im guessing that its not real common to see Latin American men in the area either. Perhaps I am wrong, I have never been to Monticello.
Your driving through New York City on a Monday with out of state plates would not make you stick out as unusual.
Like I said, its profiling and some dont like it but it does serve a purpose.
What’s your point? They caught two illegal immigrants that probably have been here for years. If the BP agent from looking at the whole picture in front of him/her felt something was not right, then I would feel it was wrong for them to ignore it for fear of being accused of “profiling”.
I agree, I dont like any illegal immigrants working here and stealing our tax dollars. But the BP agents and local police shouldn’t just pull over anybody that isn’t “Normal.” I dont know the details of the arrest, but it sounds like some BP agent saw some Mexicans and said “Hmm, what are mexicans doing up here on a Monday.” Total profiling in my book. Thats almost like saying.. “In a northern maine gas station someone they dont know walked in and didn’t put sugar in their coffee and didn’t say hello to Jimmy the gas pumper. Better check his papers.”
Maine (Even tho I’ve lived here my whole life) is not modernized at all. I like the “Ma and Pa” feel of the state, but I think its time to start focusing on being a welcoming state, and not pulling people over just because of a hunch.
Law enforcement officers (all agencies) are trained and conditioned to take note of anything out of the ordinary and use good judgment and intuition. Two men from Central America driving a Virginia plated van (as in a large vehicle to carry lots of people or goods) in Northern Maine, to me is out of the ordinary. The next question should be, what are two illegal immigrants from Central America, driving a Virginia plated van doing in Northern Maine on a Monday? Sightseeing I presume. Make sure to say hello to Jimmy the next time you are getting coffee.
I agree with arresting these men and having them deported but get real; why can’t you be in the Monticello area on a Monday with out of state plates??
This word will make people shocked and angry but it is called PROFILING.
Bet the agent thought they were selling dope or Illegal Bootleg Cigarettes. Surprise surprised 2 Illegal Aliens.
Maine celebrates diversity!
Maybe it is hair splitting but Mr. Kellinton is not “of Virginia” and the other gentlemen is not “from Portland”. What really irritates me is that I paid thousands of dollars for my wife to become a legal resident and had to jump through hopes and deal with less than helpful Homeland Security and State Department employees while doing so. Then, as part of having her be able to be legal I had to sign a document saying that I would bear 100% the cost of supporting her in the USA. If for any reason she had to be supported by food stamps, TANF or SSID in the first ten years I would be made to pay that money back.
I have no problem signing the paper. She is my wife and of course I should be responsible for caring for her. What burns my backside is that all the people that try to go through the immigration process correctly suffer a lot of grief and wait a long time while clowns like these two breeze in and start reaping the benefits of being legal residents or citizens when they are nothing but law breaking criminals.
The other thing that burns my backside is that the government seems to have very little control over it. For every two they arrest like these men there are two hundred thousand walking around with nothing to fear for the most part.
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You ask questions that I wonder about and have no answers for. People start acting up and making things harder for the honest guy.
Good Bust. Ten years in jail would be great for ID Theft. Americans get to go to jail for ID Theft why not Illegal Criminal Aliens. Throw on another 5 year sentence for entering the country Illegally. Then deport them back to Honduras.
Just deport them- why should we pay for their jail time?
Bet they get special treatment so they can remain until after the election!