On May 5 Star Tribune reporter Paul Walsh covered the filing of charges against German Adriano Llangari Inga. Llangari Inga — “of Minneapolis” — was charged with driving drunk, unlicensed, and uninsured when he killed Victoria Eileen Harwell in a head-on crash on August 3, 2024, nine months before the charges were filed.
When I wrote to ask Walsh if he could ascertain whether Llangari Inga was an illegal alien, Walsh corresponded with me in an obnoxious fashion. I followed up with ICE on my own and received this statement on May 6:
U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed a detainer on German Llangari Inga, 35, of Ecuador, with the Hennepin County Jail, Minnesota, Aug. 4, 2024, after he was arrested for criminal vehicular homicide. The Hennepin County Jail did not honor the detainer and released Llangari without notification to ICE Aug. 6, 2024, and he remains at large. Llangari initially entered the United States in June 2016, was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, issued an order of expedited removal and placed into removal proceedings.
Llangari Inga “remains at large” thanks to the defiance of local authorities with federal immigration law. The White House has now taken notice. Fox News reports this element of the story in “White House rips Minnesota Dems after illegal immigrant charged in DUI death of mother: ‘On the run.’” Subhead: “The Ecuadorian national is facing numerous felony and misdemeanor charges for drunk driving last August, but is still not in custody.”
The Fox News story quotes White House spokesman Alex Pfeiffer:
“An illegal immigrant drove drunk, killed an innocent mother, and is now on the run because Democrats didn’t do their most important job: protect their constituents,” Alex Pfeiffer, White House Principal Deputy Communications Director, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement.
“This is precisely why the Trump Administration is taking action to hold these so-called ‘sanctuary’ jurisdictions accountable,” he added.
As we reported on May 6:
“U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed a detainer on German Llangari Inga, 35, of Ecuador, with the Hennepin County Jail, Minnesota, Aug. 4, 2024, after he was arrested for criminal vehicular homicide,” an ICE spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The Hennepin County Jail did not honor the detainer and released Llangari without notification to ICE Aug. 6, 2024, and he remains at large. Llangari initially entered the United States in June 2016, was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, issued an order of expedited removal and placed into removal proceedings.”
The Fox News story implicates Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison:
The Sheriff’s Department said that they were following the rules put forth by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on immigration-related matters.
“As per guidance from the MN Attorney General’s Office, HCSO cannot lawfully hold individuals in custody based solely on an administrative detainer issued by the Department of Homeland Security or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). If a judicially-signed warrant is presented to HCSO, ICE will be notified when it becomes the holding agency. In the absence of such a warrant, individuals must be released once all criminal charges or holds have been resolved. HCSO is committed to working with federal and local partners and honoring the constitutional rights of all individuals.”
And of course: “Fox News Digital contacted Mayor Jacob Frey’s office, the Minneapolis Police Department, and Ellison’s office for comment.” The Fox News story has not been updated to record any comment received from Frey, the MPD, or Ellison’s office.
Readers who get their news from the Star Tribune may find this something of a shock. The Star Tribune has yet to get around to reporting anything on the story since the filing of charges on May 2, nine months after the drunk-driving accident that killed Ms. Harwell. See Walsh’s correspondence with me for some idea of what they might have to say when the local press gets around to calling.
