According to DHS, a person wanted in the car crash that killed Senator Catherine Cortez Masto’s adviser entered the country illegally.
Officials began to question Elmer Rueda-Linares’ immigration status when he was detained on April 6 after a tragic collision that killed Kurt Englehart, the senator’s senior adviser, who was 38 years old.
He is a Honduran national who entered the United States illegally in 2021 and is now in Nevada’s Washoe County Jail on an “ICE hold,” which gives authorities more time to prepare for deportation.
Once Rueda-Linares was taken into jail, the senator’s staff honored Englehart, calling her a beloved figure across the state.
Immigration authorities may formally seek to retain a “removable citizen” for an additional 48 hours beyond their release date to make arrangements for deportation.
Jailed on $100,000 bond, Rueda-Linares is accused of fleeing the scene of an accident.
According to the DHS, he first crossed the border closest to the Rio Grande City port of entry on March 12, 2021, without being inspected by an immigration official.
The statement said that the individual in question was released on his recognizance on June 22, 2021, after being apprehended by United States Customs and Border Protection.
Accusations surfaced that Rueda-Linares left the site of the horrific accident that occurred at around 4:30 in the morning on April 6, leading to his eventual arrest.
After being with Cortez Masto since 2017, Englehart was appointed director of rural outreach and senior state adviser in March of last year.
Previously, Englehart was an employee of Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign.
Senator Cortez Masto’s spokeswoman, Lauren Wodarski, told the Post that her boss looks forward to justice being served and has confidence in the local police and prosecutors when asked about the suspect’s legal status.
In 2020, Cortez Masto introduced legislation to address the “broken immigration system,” continuing her long history of advocating for immigration reform.
Next up for Rueda-Linares is a court appearance on Thursday.
