The long goodbye

Maria Virginia Lopez Herandez, age 47, pled guilty this afternoon in federal court in downtown St. Paul to one count of illegal immigration. Your correspondent was there.

Technically, Lopez, of Mexico, pled guilty to the misdemeanor charge of improper entry of an illegal alien. Yes, it’s a crime, punishable by up to six months in federal prison. Repeat offenders are charged with a criminal felony.

As it happened, Lopez was sentenced to time already served (43 days, above the 30-day minimum). She crossed the U.S.-Mexican border in California in August 2019 and was picked up by the U.S. Border patrol. Federal court records indicate she skipped a court hearing in September 2019 and a warrant was issued by the federal court in Southern California for her arrest.

Fast forward to June 2026, when she was picked up in Minnesota on a traffic violation and then picked up by federal authorities.

She appeared in court today clad in a lime-green jail-issued outfit, accompanied by two deputy U.S. Marshals. She was assisted in court this afternoon by her court-appointed taxpayer-paid attorney and her court-appointed taxpayer-paid Spanish-language interpreter. Throw in the hourly rate of the judge, two law clerks, a probation officer, and court security, it was quite the payroll to deliver maximum due process to Ms. Lopez, by her own admission a citizen of Mexico, one not authorized to be here.

She was supported this afternoon by members of her immediate family, to wish her what may or may not be an au revoir. The consensus in the courtroom was that deportation back to Mexico would ensue sooner, rather than later, but by no means a certainty.

Until we meet again.