Nick, this story sounds amazing. I would love to see some additional reporting from the perspective of the woman and her family, and even the smuggler. I'm also really hoping you won't have to close reader comments, but I'm not holding my breath.

Of course all of this could have been avoided if she had not been here illegally the first time, and not tried to come back illegally the second time. The smuggler was wrong and I am glad he was caught and the woman unharmed. But she should have been returned to Mexico, and her family should have been charged with hiring a smuggler to begin with. On top of the breaking of our laws, her family put her at HUGE risk by doing so. As for the Visa, I am sure she would say that, but if that was really true, why not apply for it in the first place if that was really her intention?

I have to agree with Ron. The kidnapper was wrong but so was she. Why does he go to jail and she gets to be with her family. She should returned to Mexico and make her way here legally. When does it end that we baby and continue to let the illegals cause this trouble.

Who set the policy for the police to not detain illegal aliens? Must not be any revenue in it.

Until you know what it takes to get a visa - time, money, etc...
Until you know what YOU would do if you had to to give your family a better life...

Don't judge.

You really have NO IDEA!
By the way, which one of your ancestors are Native American. None...then, none of you can really talk. Your ancestors came here illegally, but were granted the ability to stay.

Ron and Dale - I agree with you 100%.

Sorry @ALL, but you are wrong on all counts. Yes, it takes a long time to get a visa, that is not an excuse for illegal entry. By that logic, it would take me a long time to get the money together to get an expensive car, so I should just steal it? I am not judging, I am pointing out a fact. YOU are judging all of us. And your illegal immigrant idea for non-Native Americans is hogwash too. First, that would only apply to original settlers, and not even really to them. What would I do to give my family a better life? Work my rear end off, not put them at risk violating the law and trusting in smugglers. And lastly, @ALL, my Grandfather was El Salvadoran, my Grandmother is Mexican, and BOTH came here legally and met and made a life. So you know nothing of what you speak.

Actually, my ancestry includes not one but two Native American tribes, Tsilagi (what gets called "Cherokee" all too often), and Jicarilla Apache, so I can express my thoughts as I like. And those are that she should have come here legally in the first place.

Legally, get it? As in, not breaking the law to get into the country. What is so hard for these liberals to understand about that? breaking the law is wrong. Always. Period. End of story. No lame and whining excuses.

Steve and Dale: If either of you would care to drop me a line, I am writing a follow up story where I delve deeper into why the kidnapping victim was not arrested, even though police knew she was here illegally. It would be nice to get your full names and opinions.

Thanks,
Nick Veronin
nveronin@mv-voice.com

The woman should be arrested as a co-conspirator and deported.

This is what happens when you have an Amnesty city like Mountain View.

why have laws if they are not enforced?

from a CNN interview of Felipe Calderon during his visit to D.C.
BLITZER: So in other words, if somebody sneaks in from Nicaragua or some other country in Central America, through the southern border of Mexico, they wind up in Mexico, they can go get a job...

CALDERON: No, no.

BLITZER: They can work.

CALDERON: If -- if somebody do that without permission, we send back -- we send back them.

BLITZER: You find them and you send them back?

CALDERON: Yes.

Mexico has the toughest immigration laws in North America. They MUST be racists.

@ALL,
My family has been here 400 years, They came legally, I have european and american indian ancestors and I am as American as it gets. Your arguement makes no sense, you are just trying to justify your illeagal status. If I went to Mexico illeagaly would they let me stay? NO they would not. So why do you deny the United States the right to enforce our laws? The reason you do because the law is inconvenient to you so you ignore it and get angry when you are reminded that you broke the laws of the United States by sneaking into the country illeagaly. You shame and rob from those who came legally.

This is troubling on many levels...

Allowing illegal immigrants to stay and work (see the piece on the Day Worker Center) puts them at risk for kidnapping and extortion. Generally, employers pay all expenses related to getting a visa and the process takes from 3-6 years. So that's how much time and money it takes to give your family a better life. That's what it cost me. (If you have to pay the application fees yourself, the individual fees are in the hundreds of dollars. Even including legal fees, the cost can be less than $2000 for a green-card, I know this because I also hired an attorney to make a separate application, as my employer was taking too long).

There seems to be the idea that you can simply listen to hip-hop, rap and watch American Idol until you are 18, then sneak across the border and you'll have it made. There is a lot more to "giving your family a better life" than just getting across the border. It's starts off with working hard in school, going to college or learning a skill. I have no sympathy for folks that skip many years of hard work and student loans and want the same opportunities as others. (please spare me the speech about being poor and underprivileged, many folks are poor and underprivileged and still make something of themselves legally)

By coming here illegally, what you give your family is the shame of being illegal, the constant worry of being deported, vulnerability to crime, and tens of thousands of dollars of debt in legal fees. And if your children are born here, they may not necessarily be deported with you - or even allowed into your own country.

I too had a preconceived idea on illegal immigration until I had an experience up close and personal. My son's girlfriend is illegal, she found out when she was in high school. He didn't find out till later when he was already into the relationship, it's something she's not proud of. She has been here since she was 3, she went all through her school years here. IS it her fault? No she didn't ask to be brought here. She has never been back to her country of birth but she's in her home country, she grew up here this is all she knows. For her to try to be legal here she ahs to go back to a country she doesn't know or has anyone there for her yet here she is without the ability to have a job or go to higher ed school health insurance etc. Where do people like her fall?

@concerned - That's unfortunate, but her predicament is the only possible outcome from her parent(s) bringing her here illegally.

As for going (back) to a foreign country to start the immigration process - how is that any more difficult than what every other immigrant does? Either way it's going from a country where they've lived all their life to a new country where they never have been. It's not impossible. In any case, she's had several years to prepare for doing that - or did she just plan on staying illegal like her parents? Or maybe marrying your son? Changing countries is hard and requires work. It's not just slipping someone some cash to sneak you across the border.

Mike, it IS her parents fault not hers. It's more difficult because number 1, she didn't make that choice, 2 she knows nobody there and 3 going from a country like ours to a country less fortunate. She's a 20 year old young woman, she's going to leave all her family here? It's not right for her to persecuted and judged for her parents stupid thinking. Illegal immigration is wrong but there ARE different circumstances that lead to people what they do. In her instance until she can figure something out she's in limbo, she does not like being in that gray area, she wants to go to college and work. So what do you do when you meet someone who clearly looks and acts if they are form here? Is it a prerequisite to ask what their immigration status is. Beleive me Iv'e been educated on this experience she's going through at know fault of her own.

Nick,

Glad to see the comment thread still alive and relatively civil. But aren't there far better angles to this story here than why she wasn't arrested? Presumably, the police don't want to discourage crime victims from coming to them for help. Also, it's not really their job.

In any case, I can already read Steve and Dale's opinions on this subject here. In the meantime, I'd rather know what possessed her to go in the first place, knowing she might have trouble getting back in? Why take the risk of using the coyote? How did she find him? Did she have an idea of what she was getting herself into? What was her alternative? How common are these sorts of stories? Did her family worry about going to the police?

Any chance we'll be seeing that story?

@concerned - Many people are in difficult situations through no fault of their own and manage to do just fine. If she wants to get herself out of limbo (nobody else is going to do this for her), she needs to get an immigration attorney. They are not expensive.

All this at the taxpayers expense. What a shame to turn away from the reality that she and her family broke the law...just as the smuggler/kidnapper.

Well, thank God that none of these illegal aliens who were arrested were required to have a drivers license in Mountain View. I for one am glad that these type of criminals have carte blanche to drive around our city, engaging in their various crime enterprises. (oh yes, our nefarious police department will, at your added taxpayer espense, pull them over and stand by for 20+ minutes while somebody, including said taxpayer subsidised police officer, calls the illegal alien's two friends to come and get the illegals vehicle and drive it "back home", in reality just around the corner or behind a building so the unlicensed illegal can jump back into their vehicle and continue driving in and around Mountain View. Thank-you, Mayor Siegel, our various City Council members, and most importantly, our nefarious City Attorney who instigated this laissez-faire attitude and policy toward lawlessness perpetrated largely by a select group of non-citizens.

@Jon Wiener:

Re: your following questions:

"I'd rather know what possessed her to go in the first place, knowing she might have trouble getting back in? Why take the risk of using the coyote? How did she find him? Did she have an idea of what she was getting herself into? What was her alternative? How common are these sorts of stories? Did her family worry about going to the police?"

The answer to all your questions is that she has no respect for the law, i.e., she is not a law-abiding citizen and sees no utility in what our laws are designed for. She'll make one hec of a citizen!

Outrageous that their is only one arrest. Apart from crossing illegally, one would think paying a large amount of money to perform an illegal act as crime as well.

Not sure what one would do if your law enforcement agency is not enforcing laws.

I believe it's called a conspiracy when individuals get together and conduct an illegal act. I guess MVPD doesn't make arrests for conspiracy unless you are a legal citizen.