Landscaper at Gore Compound Charged as Illegal Immigrant

A landscaper working at Vice President Al Gore’s compound was charged Monday as an illegal immigrant, authorities said.

Federal agents arrested and initiated deportation proceedings against Issac Belzazar Figueroa, 22, of Honduras, and detained another worker.

Agents from the Immigration and Naturalization Service questioned four employees of a landscaping company that does work on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory, where the vice president’s official residence is situated.

During a routine check of workers’ identification cards, a Secret Service officer noticed that a work permit of an employee from El Salvador had recently expired and called the INS.

The INS questioned four workers and found that two were legally in the United States. The other two were taken into custody, but it was discovered that the Salvadoran had a pending asylum application, and he was released and told to update his work permit, the Washington Post reported.

Belzazar told the INS that he crossed the border illegally near Brownsville, Texas, according to agency spokesman Russ Bergeron. He then obtained a lawyer and refused to answer further questions.