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The man charged in the death of a passenger in the van he was driving was drunk and speeding last week when he lost control of the vehicle, which hit a guardrail and a bridge abutment before it rolled and caught fire, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

Nemias Garcia-Velasco, 32, has been charged with motor vehicle homicide in the death of Silvano Torres, 58. A judge set his bail at $2 million.

When he asked for a high bail amount, prosecutor Ryan Lindberg of the Douglas County Attorneys Office said Garcia-Velasco, who is from Mexico, was in the United States illegally. After the hearing, Lindberg said Garcia-Velasco had been removed from the U.S. a total of seven times five "voluntary returns" in 2005 and following two deportation hearings, in 2009 and 2011. Lindberg noted that Garcia-Velasco once was convicted of having false citizenship papers.

Carl Rusnok, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said "it's not unusual" for people who come to the United States illegally to return several times.

Under a voluntary return, Rusnok said, the person is saying, "'Yes, I'm in your country illegally and, yes, you can return me to (my country of origin).'"

The vast majority of voluntary returns are to Mexico, Rusnok said.

Garcia-Velasco was going over 100 mph about 1 p.m. last Wednesday when he lost control of a 2001 Dodge Ram work van as he headed west on Interstate 80 near the Interstate 680 split, Lindberg said. Garcia-Velasco told officers he had consumed 12 beers the previous evening into the morning of the crash, the prosecutor said.

Garcia-Velascos blood-alcohol level was .243 when it was checked at a hospital following the crash, Lindberg said.

Torres was riding unrestrained in the cargo area of the van and was declared dead at the scene. Front-seat passenger Jesus I. Gonzalez, 16, was treated at the hospital and released the day of the crash. Garcia-Velasco was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center with severe burns. He later was released from the hospital and booked into jail.

Rosa Flores, who had been dating Torres for about a year, said she last heard from her boyfriend just before noon last Wednesday.

Torres texted her that it was too hot to continue patching a roof, and that he would call her when he got home.

That afternoon and for two days, she kept calling and messaging him, with no answer. She saw photos of the burning van and had a sinking feeling that it was the work van Torres used.

I was just devastated, she said. There are so many unsolved things, so many questions. I was so hurt, I was so upset.

Flores said she is angry that Garcia-Velasco allegedly was drinking and driving.

If he knew that he was drinking and he knew that he wasnt able to drive, why did he? she said. He didnt stop to think about the consequences of what could happen. Its not fair that he took the life of somebody else.

Torres was a loving man who spoke fondly of his two daughters and son who lived in Mexico, Flores said. Torres had documentation to be in the United States, she said, and had lived in Omaha for about six years after working in other states. She said she does not know Garcia-Velasco.

Funeral services have not been scheduled, Flores said. Relatives are waiting to take his body back to Mexico.

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Illegal immigrant was drunk and speeding before deadly crash at I ... - Omaha World-Herald

In a report by the Pueblo Chieftain, sources told the local newspaper that illegal immigrants, fearful of being prosecuted and deported by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), are self-deporting primarily back to Mexico.

Sources report that some undocumented families have left the area for Mexico rather than run the risk of having a parent arrested or even sentenced to prison for immigration violations, the newspaper reported.

According to the report, families began self-deporting after a total of 14 illegal aliens in the Pueblo, Colorado area had been arrested and deported.

Many of the individuals arrested had previously come to the U.S. on an H-2A foreign guest worker visa, but overstayed and had been living in the country illegally for years.

In one case, 48-year-old Benito Rubio, who died in federal custody before he was set to be deported, was facing felony charges after illegally remaining in the U.S. despite federal orders to deport.

The self-deportation of illegal aliens comes just as Attorney General Jeff Sessions led the charge in the Trump Administration to reinstate criminal prosecution for first-time border-crossers, a break from the lax open borders policies of the Obama Administration, as Breitbart Texas reported.

Previously, first-time border-crossers were deported to their native countries. Under Trump, those illegal aliens are being prosecuted, alongside repeat offenders.

First-time border-crossers are being convicted with misdemeanors. If they illegally re-enter, they will be hit with felony charges. Under the Obama administration, former Attorney General Eric Holder actually halted all prosecutions in some border sectors.

John Binder is a reporterfor Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at@JxhnBinder.

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Illegal Aliens Self-deporting amid Stricter Enforcement, Says Report - Breitbart News

BOSTON (AP)

Europeans often hid in plain sight as Latin Americans, Asians and others living illegally in America were sent packing. But now they're starting to realize they are not immune to President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration, and they're worried.

The number of Europeans deported this federal fiscal year from the United States could surpass last fiscal year's total, according to figures provided to The Associated Press by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

From Oct. 2, 2016 through June 24, more than 1,300 Europeans have been removed, compared with 1,450 during all of federal fiscal year 2016 -- the last under President Barack Obama. The agency didn't provide estimates broken down by calendar year.

In San Jose, California, an HIV-positive Russian asylum seeker faces possible deportation after overstaying his visa. In Chicago, Polish and Irish community groups say they're seeing inquiries about immigration and citizenship-related services surge as people seek legal protections.

And in Boston, John Cunningham, a well-known Irishman who had overstayed his visa by 14 years, was sent back to Ireland last week, sending shivers through the city's sizeable Irish expat community.

"People are very, very concerned and lying low," says Ronnie Millar, of the Boston-based Irish International Immigrant Center. "The message is that if it can happen to John, it can happen to anyone."

Europeans comprise about 440,000 of the estimated 11 million people living illegally in the United States, according to the Migration Policy Institute.

Since just before Trump was elected last November, the U.S. has deported 167,350 foreigners, compared with 240,255 in all of fiscal year 2016. Immigrants from Latin America make up the most by far, with Mexico leading the way at about 93,000.

Among Europeans, Romanians make up the largest share, with 193 deportations so far in fiscal year 2017. Behind are Spain at 117; the United Kingdom at 102; Russia at 81; and Poland at 74. Those countries were also tops last fiscal year; Romania had 176, United Kingdom 160, Poland 160, Spain 115 and Russia 94.

Immigrant advocates say they've been urging individuals to know their rights if they're stopped and for parents to make arrangements for their children in the event they're detained.

"The worst aspect of these numbers from our perspective is that our community organizations do not know who is being deported and why, and are unable to send immigration attorneys to assist them," says Dmitri Daniel Glinski, president of the Russian-Speaking Community Council of Manhattan and the Bronx.

In California, San Jose resident Denis Davydov was detained for more than a month after returning from a vacation in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

He was eventually released after his lawyer argued Davydov was legally allowed to re-enter because he's currently seeking political asylum for being gay and HIV-positive. But he could be forced to return to Russia if his request is denied.

Davydov says the experience of being detained - and the uncertainty it has thrust into his asylum application - has left him feeling vulnerable.

"Before this, I thought I was a doing everything right, but I'm afraid now that doing everything right is not enough. I don't know what else I can do," he said. "I feel like it can happen again to me anywhere. In the airport or in the street."

At the Polish American Association in Chicago, executive director Magdalena Dolas said her organization has been asked to give talks about what residents should do if immigration officials show up at their doorstep.

"People are worrying about their rights," she said. "It shows there is awareness but that there is also anxiety."

The Chicago Irish Immigrant Support Center has been receiving triple the number of inquiries on immigration and legal service matters these days as it did a year ago, said Michael Collins, executive director.

There have been 18 deportations among Irish nationwide in the current fiscal year, compared with 26 in all of last fiscal year, according to the ICE data.

Cunningham's case has still become a cautionary tale among Irish expats in Boston's Irish community.

"The rumor has gone around, 'Don't go in any courthouses, and if you hear a knock on your door and you're not expecting anyone, don't answer it," said Benny Murphy, a 32-year-old bartender in Boston who had been living in this country illegally until about three years ago, when he married a woman who is a U.S. citizen.

Many believe Cunningham simply forgot the golden rule of living in the shadows: Keep your head down.

Months before his arrest, he appeared on a national news show in Ireland to share his experience of living illegally in America.

Cunningham, who declined to comment for this article through his lawyer, also wasn't squeaky clean. He had a warrant for his arrest for failing to show up in court over a $1,300 dispute with a customer of his electrical contracting business, and state records show he wasn't a licensed electrician.

Advocates complain Trump, in taking a hardline against immigration scofflaws, is sweeping up many hardworking, taxpaying people, many of whom have raised children who are now U.S. citizens.

The Obama administration, in contrast, focused immigration enforcement on the most serious criminals.

Many of those living here illegally were lulled into a "false sense of security" by the Obama years, said Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors more restrictive immigration policies.

"This is a return to more traditional immigration enforcement," Vaughan said. "There needs to be some level of across-the-board, routine enforcement, in the same way your local police department doesn't focus only on murder, robbery and rape. They also have traffic patrols."

But Ali Noorani, executive director of the immigrant-rights group National Immigration Forum, argued the administration is overdoing it.

"It's pretty clear ICE is removing anyone undocumented they come across," he said. "The bigger issue is that the Trump administration is wasting really valuable law enforcement resources on many people who aren't a public safety threat, whether they're Irish, Latino, Asian or otherwise."

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Immigration crackdown leads to deportations of Europeans - KCRA Sacramento

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G20 reiterates commitment to support Africa to end illegal immigration africanews G20 countries have made commitments to support Africa's economy by encouraging efforts to reduce illegal immigration. ADVERTISING. inRead invented by Teads. The leaders have also called on Africa's private sector to seize available opportunities to ... and more »

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G20 reiterates commitment to support Africa to end illegal immigration - africanews

Kate Steinle became a household name in 2015 after the 32-year old was shot and killed by an illegal immigrant in San Francisco. It was a horrific event that shined light on some serious flaws in our nations immigration system.

The man who killed her, Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, was in our country illegally. Making matters worse, he had already been deported five times and had been convicted of seven felonies. He had no business being in the United States.

San Francisco, where the shooting occurred, is a sanctuary city, meaning they do not cooperate with federal law enforcement officials when it comes to immigration law. Lopez-Sanchez likely felt safe in San Francisco due to their lax immigration laws, even though he was a convicted felon with multiple deportations on his record.

The story of Kate Steinle is just the most high profile example of the problems with the U.S. immigration system, but there are many other horrible stories out there. Our top priority as a federal government should always be to keep citizens safe, and that includes monitoring and controlling who we allow into our country.

Recently, the House of Representatives took action on two important bills to address some of the issues with our broken immigration system. Both bills were strongly supported by President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who have made enforcing our immigration laws a top priority.

The first bill, the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, deals directly with the so-called sanctuary cities. Under the legislation, certain federal funding would be cut to cities and counties that refuse to comply with federal law enforcement officials when it comes to immigration law.

In other words, if a city refuses to enforce our federal immigration laws, they should not be receiving millions of dollars in federal funding. These cities must be held responsible for their reckless policies that endanger their citizens.

Under President Barack Obama, I often heard examples of cities or counties who were attempting to enforce immigration laws, but they could not get the help and support they needed from federal officials. Well, under Attorney General Jeff Sessions that is changing. Federal immigration officials are cracking down on law breakers in our country illegally, and they deserve help and support from all our local officials.

The second bill, known as Kates Law, increases the criminal penalties for deported felons who returned to the United States. Like Kates killer, illegal immigrants who are convicted of felonies must face severe consequences if they choose to illegally reenter our country again.

This bill actually drew some bipartisan support from Democrats, which demonstrates that this is not just some partisan issue. Frankly, how could anyone not support increasing penalties for convicted felons who continue to break the law and put the American people at risk?

These two bills are now headed to the Senate for consideration, and I urge the Senate to act swiftly on the bills. I have no doubt that, if enacted into law, these bills would protect American lives and make our country a safer place.

When it comes to combatting illegal immigration, we cannot just stop with these two bills. We must also take action to secure our borders, improve internal security, and close loopholes in various immigration programs.

I am committed to working with President Trump to push through the strong immigration policies that he was elected to implement. This is all about the safety and security of the American people, and there is no greater responsibility than that.

Bradley Byrneis a member of U.S. Congress representing Alabamas 1st Congressional District.

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Bradley Byrne: Combatting illegal immigration - Alabama Today