Police say arrest of NU employee was an issue of mistaken identity
By Alison Knezevich
The Daily Northwestern
The arrest of a Northwestern food service worker last week was a case of mistaken identity, a spokeswoman from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Monday.
Jorge A. Monteza, 28, of Chicago, was arrested and detained by agents from the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement division last Wednesday shortly before 8 a.m. at Sargent Hall, police said last week.
According to Commander Darren Davis of University Police, UP was notified early Wednesday morning that immigration agents had a warrant for Monteza’s arrest.
Davis said federal authorities told UP that Monteza was an illegal immigrant who had previous arrests for “crimes of violence” and was considered a federal fugitive.
In a joint venture, federal agents and UP officers arrested Monteza, who did not resist the arrest, Davis said.
But the agents later discovered they had the wrong man, said Marilou Cabrera, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The mistake occurred because Monteza had the same name and birth date as another suspect, Cabrera said.
Cabrera said that Monteza, a legal immigrant, was not able to verify his identity to the agents at the time of his arrest because he was not carrying his green card, which permanent aliens are required to carry at all times.
She said Monteza was detained for questioning at a detention facility in Broadview, Ill., but was released the same day when his wife brought his green card to the facility.
The immigration agents verified Monteza’s identity and discovered he was not the right suspect, Cabrera said.
Authorities did not charge Monteza for not having his green card but Cabrera emphasized the importance of permanent aliens carrying their green cards.
“Had he had (his green card), he wouldn’t have been detained at any point,” she said.
Cabrera said she could not give specific details about the suspect the agents were actually looking for.
Paul Komelasky, NU’s director of food services, declined to comment on the incident. Monteza was not available for comment Monday.
