The Palm Beach Post

DUI suspect faces deportatio­n for second time

Guatemalan native had toddler in car when pulled over, report said.

- By Julius Whigham II Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Deportatio­n

A man accused of driving drunk through Wellington in December while a toddler slept in his car is facing deportatio­n for the second time in less than a year, according to a federal complaint filed in court this week.

I mmigrat i o n a n d Cus t o ms Enforcemen­t is seeking to deport Nicolas Mateo, a native of Guatemala living in Loxahatche­e. Mateo was arrested Dec. 18 on charges of DUI and child abuse after local authoritie­s alleged he swerved across lanes on Southern Boulevard, nearly hitting other cars.

It’s the second local case this week of a person in the United St ates ille gally who might be deported following a traffic arrest. Victor Villanueva Rivera, a Mexican citizen who has lived in the U.S. for 27 years, was arrested early Sunday when he failed to stop his pickup after hitting a motorcycli­st in Boynton Beach. The motorcycli­st died in the crash.

The possible deportatio­ns of both men come at a time of fierce Keep up with The Post’s complete coverage of Wellington on its Facebook page dedicated to the city. On Facebook, search for Post on Wellington.

debate about U.S. immigratio­n policy and the deportatio­n of people in the U.S. illegally.

The election of President Donald Trump — who in his campaign c alled for a crackdown on illegal immigrants and even building a wall the entire length of the U.S.-Mexico border — has put many illegal immigrants on edge, even those who have long lived without incident within the nation’s borders.

Federal immigratio­n officials have arrested 21,362 immigrants since Trump took office in January, up nearly a third from the same period last year, federal documents show. Deportatio­ns remained on pace with 2016.

 ??  ?? Nicolas Mateo was arrested Dec. 18 on charges of DUI and child abuse.
Nicolas Mateo was arrested Dec. 18 on charges of DUI and child abuse.

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