Three Lankans plead guilty to immigration charge
November 19, 2010 09:36 am
Three men from Sri Lanka were in federal court Friday facing immigration charges after authorities said they had illegally crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico into the U.S.
Rabahan Sivakirinathan, Richard Pathinathar and Rameesh Maheswaran were arrested Tuesday by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Brownsville near the river levee and charged with illegal entry.
On Friday morning, the three men went before U.S. Magistrate Judge Felix Recio, who had to use a translator to inform them of the charges and explain the court procedures.
All three pleaded guilty. They said a guide had helped them cross the river using inner tubes and then had abandoned them.
When asked by the judge why they traveled all the way to America from Sri Lanka, the men said they were fleeing for their lives. Sivakirinathan stated that a rich, powerful family had been extorting him and had forced him to pay a million rupees (about $9,000). He said that after paying, he still feared for his life and thus fled. The other two men also said they fled out of fear. It was not clear if they were referring to organized crime in Sri Lanka or to something else.
After hearing the guilty pleas, Recio gave the men credit for time served and released them to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE reportedly will hold them in an immigration camp for three to six weeks until authorities can arrange deportation to their home country. – (The Brownsville Herald)
Rabahan Sivakirinathan, Richard Pathinathar and Rameesh Maheswaran were arrested Tuesday by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Brownsville near the river levee and charged with illegal entry.
On Friday morning, the three men went before U.S. Magistrate Judge Felix Recio, who had to use a translator to inform them of the charges and explain the court procedures.
All three pleaded guilty. They said a guide had helped them cross the river using inner tubes and then had abandoned them.
When asked by the judge why they traveled all the way to America from Sri Lanka, the men said they were fleeing for their lives. Sivakirinathan stated that a rich, powerful family had been extorting him and had forced him to pay a million rupees (about $9,000). He said that after paying, he still feared for his life and thus fled. The other two men also said they fled out of fear. It was not clear if they were referring to organized crime in Sri Lanka or to something else.
After hearing the guilty pleas, Recio gave the men credit for time served and released them to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE reportedly will hold them in an immigration camp for three to six weeks until authorities can arrange deportation to their home country. – (The Brownsville Herald)