The U.S. attorney in southern Indiana announced federal immigration charges Tuesday against the illegal immigrant accused of killing pro football player Edwin Jackson.
Manuel Orrego-Zavala was charged with illegal reentry of a previously deported alien.
He had been arrested and deported to Guatemala in 2007, returned and was rearrested and deported in 2009, U.S. Attorney Josh J. Minkler said in charging the 37-year-old.
Mr. Orrego-Zavala stands accused of a drunken-driving hit-and-run crash that killed Jackson and his Uber driver on the side of Interstate 70.
“The defendant in this case allegedly re-entered the country illegally for the second time before he put the public safety of Indianapolis at risk and took the lives of two innocent men early Sunday morning,” Mr. Minkler said.
He said the immigration charges, which are in addition to more serious local charges, are follow-through on Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ directive last year to pursue cases against illegal immigrants caught sneaking back into the U.S., “especially if they are a risk to public safety or there is a criminal history present.”
“Following the rule of law is the foundation of our American democracy, and my office is committed to fulfilling the Attorney General’s directive,” Mr. Minkler said.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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