Illegal immigrant faces 6th drunk driving charge

BOXBORO, Mass. -- An illegal immigrant was in court Monday to face his sixth drunk driving offense. Boxboro police said they pulled over the driver for a suspended registration.

Eduardo Torres, 48, was arrested Saturday night. He was arraigned Monday morning and was set to be held in police custody until a dangerousness hearing could be held. He faces charges that include driving under the influence and driving with a suspended driver’s license and registration.

Torres was pulled over for an expired inspection sticker. Police say he gave a false name, failed a sobriety test and had an open beer in the car. Authorities had to fingerprint him to find out his real identity.

“He was from Mexico, here illegally, he had been previously deported and we had several aliases associated with him. Obviously when he spoke to the officer the first time he gave an alias -- a fake name,” said Chief Warren Ryder of the Boxboro Police Department.

Torres’ arraignment comes on the same day a bipartisan group of state lawmakers rolled out a new immigration bill that would, among other things, increase penalties for driving without a license.

“A growing issue in Massachusetts -- the headlines even as early as this morning with another individual who is not here legally,” said State Senator Richard Moore.

Governor Deval Patrick said he opposes the part of the bill that bans instate tuition for children of undocumented immigrants. But, for Torres, he has a different opinion.

"I think it's terrible," Governor Deval Patrick said. "I think he's been deported before, if I understand it correctly and somehow or other he's gotten back in, and I hope he's sent home again."

The Boxboro chief agrees and said the immigration problem must be dealt with, but not at the expense of a police department’s relationship with the immigrant community.

“The problem with having a…relationship with immigrants is that often times not only are they suspects, but they’re victims of crimes and they’re witnesses of crimes. So, God forbid, we wouldn’t want them not to come forward,” said Ryder.

Officials say Torres had been living in the state for five years and had been working as a landscaper.

(Copyright (c) 2011 Sunbeam Television. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)