Francisco detained

Restaurateur, motorist, convicted felon (twice), deported alien (thrice), and Minnesota Dad Francisco Estrada-Deltaro was back in court this morning at the Federal Courthouse in downtown St. Paul. Your correspondent was there.

You will recall that last week Mr. Estrada, age 39, was initially portrayed by the Minneapolis Star Tribune as an innocent victim of racial profiling, swept up in an indiscriminate ICE dragnet and disappeared into parts unknown.

Eventually, the full story came out that he had never been missing, merely held in ICE custody as a previously deported illegal alien. He was a subject of that first 900-lb. meth bust that occurred early last month. He and his home were the subject of a separate and specific search warrant, one of eight executed that day by the FBI and a host of other three-letter federal agencies.

As it happens, he was eventually found hiding in the laundry chute of his home by federal agents. So far, his has been charged with just a single count of re-entry by a previously deported illegal alien, a federal felony.

Prosecutors hint that more charges could be forthcoming in the larger drugs, guns, money laundering, etc. etc. case that they are still investigating, centered around two area restaurants owned and operated by Mr. Estrada.

Today, he was formally arraigned and was the subject of a detention hearing. These hearings all involve some type of Hobson’s choice of remaining in jail, while awaiting trial, or be released to ICE custody and an immediate-ish deportation to Mexico.

Here, Estrada’s lawyer seemed to be arguing for ICE and deportation. The prosecutor prevailed in gaining Estrada’s continued detention. I’m not sure if it was a close call, but the final nail appeared to be Estrada’s 2024 DWI arrest here in Minnesota where he produced a New Mexico drivers’ license under one of his many aliases.

Estrada’s attorney mentioned that during his stay in ICE detention in Freeborn County, he received two Immigration Court hearings. Today marked his second appearance in federal court. So much due process.

For now, it’s back to the federal lockup in Sherburne County to await his next court date.

Next up this morning was Matias Acosta-Vasquez, age 45, another citizen of Mexico.

He was in court for one of those pre-packaged arraignment/guilty plea/sentencing hearings for felony re-entry of a previously deported alien.

In his backstory, he has accumulated two previous deportations and a voluntary departure. He was arrested back in April, reportedly on his way to work, as a passenger during a traffic stop conducted by ICE.

During the stop, he produced a legally-obtained, valid Minnesota ID card.

Although a participant in the “Fast Track” program, it still took 85 days (from April 29) to reach resolution of his case. It came out in court that in the next two to three weeks, Mr. Acosta will be “flown to a border state” and then walked across a bridge to Mexico.

Mr. Acosta comes much closer to that “model” illegal alien that local media are so eager to find. Other than the series of deportations, he does not appear to have any other criminal cases past or present. Reportedly, he works as a construction worker, sending money home to support a wife and family in Mexico. In his most recent apprehension by ICE, he appears to have been a target of opportunity, rather than the principal object of the search.

Vaya con Dios, Matias.