Car Theft Suspects Lead Deputies to 49 Illegal Aliens

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies on the trail of suspected car thieves Monday were led to a Lynwood motel where they found 49 illegal aliens, officials said.

Sgt. Paul Tanaka, who was patrolling along Atlantic Avenue in Lynwood about 4 a.m., spotted two four-wheel drive vehicles “crammed with people,” Deputy Eric Smith said. Tanka checked the license plates and discovered that the vehicles had been reported stolen.

He trailed the vehicles to a motel at 12112 Atlantic Ave. Several of the passengers left on foot and others entered a motel room. When additional deputies arrived, they entered the motel and found the 49 illegal immigrants in one room, Smith said.

Arrested on charges of grand theft auto were Jose Pelayo, 41; Miquel Vasquez, 23; Arturo Lopez, 26, and Victor Jimenez, all Mexican nationals. The others, also Mexicans, were turned over to the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. No charges were filed against them and they will be granted voluntary departure back to Mexico, INS officials said.

Several hundred illegal immigrants have been picked up during investigations in the past month, said INS Deputy District Director William Carroll.

“We’ve encountered more because the smugglers are astute entrepreneurs. The word is out that jobs are hard to find here, but the smugglers have been able to entice them up here with promises of jobs that don’t exist,” Carroll said.

Meanwhile, INS officials in Los Angeles reminded amnesty applicants that they have an additional 60 days to provide full information and documentation if they file applications with the processing fee by the May 4 deadline. After filing the new “simplified” applications, illegal immigrants will be scheduled for interviews after July 5, said Western Regional Commissioner Harold W. Ezell. Because of the backlog of cases, some applicants may not be processed until August or September.

Applicants Encouraged

INS officials urged illegal immigrants to apply even though they have family members who do not qualify. They stressed that under the law, INS cannot use confidential application information to deport family members who are here illegally.

Family members of those who have achieved residential status could be deported if they are picked up in routine INS sweeps at workplaces. “However, the law says we can use discretion in cases,” said Ezell. “It is our policy that we are not going to separate families.”

As of March 30, the INS Western Region, which includes California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and Guam, had received 889,194 applications, with approval rate running 95%, officials said. In the Los Angeles district, 572,464 applications have been accepted.