Man may face second deportation in 11 years

Published 6:51 am Tuesday, April 6, 2010

An Albert Lea man could face deportation for the second time in 11 years after pleading guilty to felony forgery Monday in Mower County court.

Gustavo Becerra Hernandez, 31, will undergo expedited sentencing locally and is on a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold. The ICE handles deportation cases in the U.S.

According to a criminal complaint, Hernandez was pulled over March 21 on Interstate Highway 90 near milepost 176 because his windows were covered heavily by frost, restricting his vision. The trooper asked Hernandez for identification, but he said he had no license and no other form of photo ID.

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He did, however, verbally identify himself as “Miguel Carrizales-Lopez” and provide a credit card in the same name. With that name not listed as the registered owner of the vehicle, the trooper took Hernandez to the Mower County jail.

There, authorities fingerprinted him, and the prints came back in the defendant’s true name. Records indicate that Hernandez had been fingerprinted in Freeborn County last October.

Asked about the discrepancy, Hernandez admitted that he had purchased the “Carrizales-Lopez” identification in Arizona and used it to obtain work at the Austin Packaging Company, as well as at Masterson Personnel in Rochester.

According to records, Hernandez was deported previously in January of 1999.