Free Republic

A man suspected in the 2008 slaying of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Juan Escalante was among 26 fugitives the U.S. has taken into custody from Mexico, the Department of Justice announced. Escalante, 27, was shot and killed that August in front of his mother’s house in Cypress Park, leading to the arrest of multiple suspects and the search for Roberto Salazar, who was charged with murder although he had not been apprehended. In its news release on Tuesday, the DOJ listed Salazar among the fugitives sent to the U.S. from Mexico to face federal and state criminal charges from...

In a widely watched immigration case, the Army yesterday said it will assist Pvt. Juan Escalante, of Seattle, an illegal immigrant and veteran of the Iraq conflict, in securing legal status to remain in the United States. Richard Olson, spokesman at Fort Stewart, Ga., called Escalante "a good soldier and a value to the Army." "The intent of the command is to resolve this to the benefit of all parties concerned," Olson said. An executive order signed by President Bush last year allows noncitizen soldiers who have served honorably during Operation Enduring Freedom to apply for U.S. citizenship. That order...