Field Hand Fudges With INS for Sake of Family, Lands in Jail

Manuel Acosta Robles is a hard-working, religious field hand from Mexico who was dedicated to improving the life of his wife and two children, according to the U. S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.

“His family always came first,” said Rudy S. Garcia, an INS special agent in Calexico.

But, according to the INS, Acosta’s fealty to his family has now landed the 34-year-old Imperial County resident in jail. Acosta is serving a 90-day jail term at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in San Diego for a conviction arising from his ill-fated attempt to gain legal entry for his family.

Once the sentence is completed, the INS says, Acosta and his family will probably be returned to Mexico.

As happens so often, the Acosta family was divided by the often-traumatic immigration process. He tried to mend the division, but the INS says he violated the law.

The INS provided the following version of his case:

Acosta was admitted to the United States legally in late 1980, based on a petition filed by one of his parents who was a legal U. S. resident. However, Acosta told the INS at the time that he was single, and for a good reason: he could not have been admitted under immigration laws if he had acknowledged being married.

In fact, the INS says, Acosta was married in Mexico in 1978.

In January, 1988, the INS says, Acosta submitted an application to become a U. S. citizen. As a citizen, he could legally bring his wife and children into the United States within a year.

Acosta probably could have qualified for citizenship, the INS says, but he was caught in a contradiction. As part of the application process, he submitted a copy of his marriage certificate, demonstrating that he had actually been married when he told the INS he was single.

Charged with making false statements to the INS, Acosta agreed to plead guilty Monday to a single count of entering the United States illegally.