ICE arrestedBrenda Liliana Rivera-Estrada, a 30-year-old Mexican national, after she allegedly drove impaired in an April 12 rollover crash that killed her 9-year-old daughter and injured three other children in Arizona.
Insider Wire
Sign in or create a free account.
Gain access to limited free articles, news alerts, and morning briefings.
Police suspected Rivera-Estrada was impaired when her vehicle rolled over, ejecting her daughter who was sharing a seatbelt with a sibling. The crash also injured two boys, ages 11 and 3, and a 1-year-old girl.
Charges Dropped Before ICE Arrest
Rivera-Estrada faced multiple felony charges for manslaughter and child abuse with a $100,000 bond. But Maricopa County prosecutors never filed formal charges, and she was released from local custody before ICE took her into federal immigration detention.
ICE officers first encountered Rivera-Estrada on April 16 at the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office facility, where the agency maintains a regular presence to identify illegal immigrants and criminal aliens.
The identification and arrest of Brenda Liliana Rivera-Estrada by ICE underscores the importance of the Criminal Alien Program and highlights the public safety efforts undertaken by officers with Enforcement and Removal Operations.
15-Year Immigration Violation
Rivera-Estrada entered the United States through Nogales, Arizona, on February 14, 2009, as a nonimmigrant border crosser authorized to remain for up to 30 days. She stayed in the country illegally for over 15 years beyond that authorization.
The arrest highlights ICE's Criminal Alien Program, designed to transfer removable criminal aliens into federal custody in controlled settings rather than allowing local releases. The program operates at booking facilities across the country to identify immigration violators before they return to communities.
Rivera-Estrada will remain in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings before the Department of Justice's Executive Office for Immigration Review, which will determine her eligibility to remain in the United States.
