Two cases of illegal immigration, in two weeks, have a local sheriff wanting everyone held to the same standard.
Local law enforcement agencies often feel like their hands are tied because the issue is dealt with on a federal level, but when the feds didn't do anything, one sheriff stood up.
March 31st, police in Bad Axe made a traffic stop.
The driver, Alberto Gomex, along with three passengers were taken in for being undocumented immigrants.
Gomez did not have a driver's license, so police were able to hold him. The others were let go because there were no other charges against them and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not come to get them.
Huron County Sheriff Kelly Hanson says, "I don't want to be in the business of kicking in barn doors and looking for proper paperwork. When we deal with them on the road, we want to be able to do something."
On Saturday, Huron County sheriff's deputies arrived at a dairy farm in Bingham Township.
A 21-year-old female, who was living with her Mexican 21-year-old boyfriend in a trailer on the property, said he assaulted her.
Sheriff's deputies say Octavio Munoz-Ortiz was here illegally and had a fake ID.
Sheriff Hanson says in the past the Immigration and Customs Enforcement would tell him to simply tell the illegal immigrants to go back to Mexico. He says that wasn't good enough, so he contacted the U.S. Border Patrol who he says is doing something about it.
"You can't tell them to just go back to Mexico. They're here illegally. That's just not right," says Hanson.
The suspect was taken into custody and eventually turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol.
The victim's injuries were minor, and she got her own treatment.
NBC25 contacted someone on the property who said he had no comment on the incident.
Law enforcement says these employers have a story too, that it's difficult to find good workers and that they're given what they believe is proper identification.
The sheriff says, while these instances are rare, he still has to be able to hold people accountable.
Huron County has 32,000 residents.
Last year, there were six accounts of illegal immigrants and about the same the year before.
