Press Release of Senator Cantwell

Cantwell Statement Regarding Ernesto Gamboa

Thursday, July 16,2009

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) released the following statement following her conversation with Kumar Kibble, Deputy Director of Investigations for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regarding the case of drug informant Ernesto Gamboa.  Gamboa is being held without bail and faces deportation despite having worked for 13 years to assist U.S. law enforcement agencies investigating drug trafficking. Cantwell encouraged Kibble to revisit Gamboa’s case and said that the federal government may have made some mistakes when considering his case.

“For more than 13 years, Ernesto Gamboa risked his life helping numerous federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and provided information that led to arrests and more than 90 convictions of major drug dealers and other criminals,” said Cantwell.  “He has been working to gain legal status for years, and now faces deportation despite assisting in our efforts to curb violent crime.  I want the U.S. government to closely review the facts and quickly determine if more can be done to help Mr. Gamboa.”

Gamboa worked as a confidential drug informant for a variety of federal, state and local agencies. The federal government has the authority to extend legal status to illegal immigrants who assist law enforcement in investigating and prosecuting crimes.  However, the federal government has yet to extend this status to Gamboa, who is being held at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma.

###