Cop resigns after learning illegal status

Dec. 12 (UPI) -- An Arizona detective was forced to resign Monday after learning she had been brought to the U.S. illegally when she was a child.

Carmen Figueroa, who served the Arizona Department of Public Safety for more than 10 years, learned she had been brought to the U.S. illegally from Sinaola, Mexico, when she was a child. Figueroa, 42, said she had believed she was a U.S. citizen.

Figueroa reportedly learned of her status when her brother, who is in the Air Force, applied for a passport and was flagged by the State Department. An investigation revealed they had been brought across the border illegally, and the documents Figueroa presented for employment, including a Social Security card and birth certificate, were false.

She was placed on administrative leave on September 4, and resigned Monday. Bart Graves, a spokesman for DPS, said she would have been terminated otherwise for fraud, misrepresentation for securing employment and incompetency as Arizona law requires sworn police officers to be U.S. citizens.

"We believe the affidavit and information she gave us at the time," Graves said. "And, she was under the impression that she herself was an American citizen."

It is unclear if Figueroa will face charges.

[KVOA]