White House blasts Hennepin County, Democrats over immigrant drunk driving case
Ecuadorian man charged in crash faces criticism
A suspected drunk driver is sitting in Hennepin County jail facing several felony charges after a deadly crash, while White House officials say the Ecuadorian man is in the country illegally and blaming prosecutors for not charging him.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The White House on Monday called out Hennepin County prosecutors, the jail and Democrats over their handling of a drunk driving case involving an immigrant from Ecuador.
After nine months, immigrant faces charges in deadly Minneapolis crash
The backstory:
German Adriano Llangari Inga was arrested in August after prosecutors said he smashed head on into an SUV in Minneapolis, killing the driver and injuring two others. The crash happened at the intersection of Lowry and James Avenues North.
Inga was eventually released without being charged. Prosecutors filed charges against him on May 2, nine months after the crash. Prosecutors said his blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit. Court documents said he also did not have a driver’s license or insurance.
Dig deeper:
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said Minneapolis police submitted the case to prosecutors in December after receiving a toxicology report. It is unclear why it took prosecutors another five months to file charges. During a brief court appearance on Monday, the judge questioned prosecutors about the delay.
White House criticizes Hennepin County, says suspect is "illegal immigrant"
What we know:
The White House said that federal immigration officials put a detainer on Inga in August, asking the jail to hold him over his immigration status. It said the jail ignored that request and eventually released him.
What they're saying:
In a statement on Monday, the White House said: "An illegal immigrant drove drunk, killed an innocent mother and was on the run because Democrats didn’t do their most important job: protect their constituents."
In a statement on Monday, the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office said: "The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office works with all federal, state and local partners on criminal investigations and to enforce criminal statutes. An ICE hold is not a judicially signed warrant, and courts have determined they are unconstitutional."
In a statement on Monday, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said, in part: "Mr. Llangari Inga’s case was handled the way all cases are handled when toxicology reports are necessary to complete an investigation and submit a case. After the incident occurred in August 2024, Minneapolis police waited until they had the results of the toxicology report to submit the case to us, as is appropriate and common."
Immigration enforcement is "not the local jurisdiction’s job," says attorney
What an attorney is saying:
"The jails are not allowed to hold somebody for ICE if the jail would not otherwise be holding that person...." explained Julia Decker, the policy director for the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota. "That is asking the local jurisdiction to do immigration enforcement’s job for them, and the local jurisdiction – that is not the local jurisdiction’s job."
What's next:
The judge on Monday set Inga’s bond at $200,000 with no conditions, or $100,000 with conditions. Prosecutors said they fear federal authorities could arrest him if he posts bond, and they want him to be held accountable in Hennepin County.