Jackpot!
Cindy Gonzalez at the Omaha World-Herald raises eyebrows with Man gets jail instead of jackpot :

COUNCIL BLUFFS - Jose Cruz Mena thought it was his lucky day when the slot machine he was playing burst into jackpot bells.

But instead of handing over $3,000 in winnings, Harrah's casino handed Mena over to law enforcement authorities.

For the past month, the 32-year-old has been sitting in the Pottawattamie County Jail awaiting deportation.

Jose Cuevas, the local head of the Mexican government effort to aid and abet illegal immigration, er, Mexican Consul, explains:

Cuevas, a Mexican government representative whose Omaha office serves Iowa, Nebraska and North and South Dakota, said it is his understanding that Mena presented the casino with a matricula consular card - an official photo ID that carries his government's stamp of authenticity. The card was rejected when Mena tried to claim his jackpot, Cuevas was told.

The arrest came after Mena then showed his visa as identification and officials saw that he had overstayed his time in the United States. He had been living and working in Omaha.

"If they're going to start that policy," Cuevas said, "they might as well start placing immigration officers at the entrance of every casino to see if you're a U.S. citizen or legal resident of this country."

Good idea Jose! Even better placement would be outside every Mexican consulate where the illegal aliens line up to get a matricula consular. But Harrah's isn't really taking a stand:

Tess Barry, a spokeswoman for Harrah's, said Friday she could not comment on whether Mena presented the consular identification card.

She said that as a general rule, Harrah's considers the card an acceptable form of ID to claim a prize. Identification is needed, for tax purposes, to collect anything more than $1,200.

Barry said the riverboat would be "more than happy" to pay Mena his jackpot if he returns with the consular identification card.

The last is a nice touch. Hey, maybe the bus back to Mexico can stop at the casino on the way! And where is the INS in all this?

Alonzo Martinez, an INS official for Iowa and Nebraska, said Mena is awaiting formal deportation. Agency files, he said, show no criminal record for Mena.

The INS takes a tougher stance with immigrants who overstay their visas, Martinez said, than with someone who sneaks across the border with no documentation.

Ah! I can sleep better knowing the nation is in good hands.