wsbtv.com
MORGANTON, North Carolina -- Police knew they were breaking the law, but were forced Wednesday to release 11 illegal immigrants pulled over during a traffic stop.
Burke County, N.C. authorities pulled over a sport utility vehicle packed with immigrants on I-40.
A deputy pulled the vehicle over because he couldn't read the license tag. Inside he found 11 immigrants, including a one month old baby.
The Hispanics said they were going to New York from Arizona to look for work. The group had been traveling for 10 days, barely stopping. Deputies found bottles filled with urine in the back of the SUV. The only identification they carried were voter registration cards from Mexico. They told the deputy they are in the country illegally.
Deputy Brandon Crotts says he alerted immigration officials, but was told to let them all go because they didn't have agents available to propery check the people's immigration status.
Posted by tyne at March 11, 2007