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When Doing the Right Thing Leads To Arrest


— January 6, 2004

Danny Sigui saw a murder unfold. He called 911 and testified as the key witness during the trial. In the process, he unwittingly alerted officials to his immigration status, and days later was arrested and jailed.

“For doing a good thing, this is what I get,” says Mr. Sigui, who came to the US illegally in 1989 from Guatemala. He was deported back there in late October.

The episode has turned a spotlight on the tension between local officials and federal immigration authorities when it comes to deciding how best to keep the public safe.

The Christian Science Monitor has the details of Mr. Sigui’s case — and of the larger dilemma it represents — here.


Danny Sigui saw a murder unfold. He called 911 and testified as the key witness during the trial. In the process, he unwittingly alerted officials to his immigration status, and days later was arrested and jailed.

“For doing a good thing, this is what I get,” says Mr. Sigui, who came to the US illegally in 1989 from Guatemala. He was deported back there in late October.

The episode has turned a spotlight on the tension between local officials and federal immigration authorities when it comes to deciding how best to keep the public safe.

The Christian Science Monitor has the details of Mr. Sigui’s case — and of the larger dilemma it represents — here.

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