MEXICANS FOUND WITH POT ON 1-80 FREED

ATLANTIC, IA -- Cass County authorities say they-released two
Mexican immigrants found with 95 pounds of marijuana because the
county did not want to pay their medical bills and federal
immigration official did not have room for them.

Natlvidad Valdovlno, 59, and Javier Ruiz, 49, were stopped Monday on
Interstate 80 in Iowa after the Cass County Sheriff's Office received
a complaint that a vehicle was being driven erratically.

Deputies found open containers in the men's van and said one of the
men was intoxicated. They searched the van and found drugs but also
noticed both men had cuts, scrapes and bruises and needed medical
attention. Cass County Sheriff Bill Sage said the charges were
dropped because the county did not want to cover the medical costs.

Immigration officials had told the Sheriff's Office they couldn't
take the immigrants and that neither posed a security risk.

"When we got the call, we looked at their history and found no
previous violations," said Tim Counts, a spokesman for Immigration
and Customs Enforcement. "We did have a detainer on them, but when
(the county) dropped the charges, we looked at our priorities."

Counts said about 80 percent of the immigrants the agency houses are
accused of crimes other than illegal entry. "That leaves us some
wiggle room, but we usually focus on criminals," he said.