Veteran Arizona state cop resigns after discovered to be illegal immigrant

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Archives E-mail updates Follow on Twitter Subscribe to RSS728commentsPrint19hoursagoVeteran Arizona state cop resigns after discovered to be illegal immigrantBy Jeff Black, Staff Writer, NBC News A detective for the Arizona state police resigned this week after it was revealed she isn't a U.S. citizen and had — perhaps unknowingly — misrepresented where she was born on application documents, officials said Wednesday.Arizona Department of Public Safety A photo provided by the Arizona Department of Public Safety shows detective Carmen Figueroa, who resigned from her post following the discovery that she was in the United States illegally after being brought from Mexico at a young age,Former detective Carmen Figueroa — who worked 13 years for the Arizona Department of Public Safety and once served as the state police force’s spokeswoman — had stated in a required written affidavit when hired that she is a U.S. citizen. She later told investigators her family told her she was born in the Unites States.Instead, it turned out that she was born in Sinaloa, Mexico, and came to the U.S. as a young child and was living in the country illegally, NBC station KVOA in Tucson, the first to make the revelation, reported.Advertise | AdChoices Figueroa may have used a fake or forged birth certificate, the station reported, but officials said that she was likely told that she was born in this country by her mother."We believe the affidavit and information she gave us at the time. And, she was under the impression that she herself was an American citizen," Department of Public Safety spokesman Bart Graves told KVOA.Figueroa resigned on Monday but would have been fired if she hadn’t stepped down, Graves told The Associated Press. Arizona law requires all sworn officers to be U.S. citizens."She did not really find out until this summer ... that she was an illegal alien through, I believe, a confrontation with her mother," Graves told the AP.Figueroa’s citizenship status came to light when her brother, a member of the U.S. military, applied with the State Department for a passport and federal authorities learned he had a sister who was an Arizona state police officer.Figueroa spent about a decade as a highway patrol officer in southern Arizona before become a detective and "had an exemplary record" on the job, Graves said.It was unclear if any criminal charges would be levied against Figueroa. She could not be reached.728commentsExplore related topics: arizona-department-of-public-safety, carmen-figueroaolder 20hoursagoLockdown lifted at American U. after gunman reported newer 18hoursagoMontana man pushed off cliff believed bride accused of murder had a 'surprise' for him: testimony Most popular postsolder 20hoursagoLockdown lifted at American U. after gunman reported newer 18hoursagoMontana man pushed off cliff believed bride accused of murder had a 'surprise' for him: testimony Most popular posts493Teenager dies aboard Delta flight soon after takeoff from Seattle5daysago823Frozen nation: At least 11 dead as cold, ice and snow grip USUpdated5daysago4800Judge orders Colorado baker to serve gay couples6daysago3776Fasting for immigration reform: Strikers go hungry in push for changeUpdated5daysago230Man left baby in car, went into strip club for hours, police say5daysagoBrowsefeatured, crime, updated, weather, military, california, florida, shooting, new-york, texas, environment, us-news, education, police, chicago, murder, colorado, new-jersey, obama, nbcnewyork, guns, trayvon-martin, los-angeles, afghanistan, gulf-oil-spill, kari-huus, george-zimmerman, barack-obama, nbclosangeles, arizona, fire, boston, washington, politics, sandy, veterans, gay, crime-courts, crime-and-courts, connecticutAlsoAdvertise | AdChoices Jeff Black, Staff Writer I'm a senior writer and editor working on the news team.Archives2013December (144)November (393)October (443)September (409)August (444)July (461)June (405)May (461)April (608)March (548)February (510)January (563)2012December (457)November (460)October (477)September (432)August (525)July (519)June (508)May (566)April (538)March (576)February (471)January (417)2011December (455)November (190)October (9)September (3)August (51)July (8)June (3)May (12)April (5)March (3)February (1)January (8)2010December (5)November (1)October (2)September (28)August (40)July (35)June (177)May (50)April (9)March (2)February (2)January (4)2009December (5)November (5)October (2)September (11)August (4)July (12)June (1)May (1)April (1)March (3)February (3)January (2)2008December (3)November (2)October (6)September (30)August (26)July (10)June (4)May (8)April (13)March (9)February (7)January (6)2007December (10)November (6)October (22)September (11)Most CommentedJudge orders Colorado baker to serve gay couples (4800)Fasting for immigration reform: Strikers go hungry in push for change (3776)Group that survived two days in frigid Nevada wilderness calls rescuers 'valiant' (1665)Satanists want statue beside Ten Commandments monument at Oklahoma Legislature (1711)Health director who approved Obama birth certificate dies in plane crash (1211)Campus officer shoots, kills Texas college student after chase (900)George Zimmerman's girlfriend recants allegations he threatened her with gun (762)Other blogsRed Tape ChroniclesPhotoBlogInvestigations top stories3700,10 © 2013 NBCNews.comUS news on NBCNews.comAbout usContactHelpSite mapCareersClosed captioningTerms & ConditionsPrivacy policyAdvertise