Lawmakers critical of handling of border crossing suspects

Lincoln County commissioners joined a chorus of lawmakers in criticizing federal policies regarding illegal aliens after a Somali national was released from custody following a border crossing and high speed chase last month.

Authorities remain on the lookout for Naseem Ali Saleh Mohammed, 22, following the Jan. 23 incident. Along with three others, Mohammed fled law enforcement after illegally crossing into the U.S. from Canada near West Kootenai Road.

U.S. Border Patrol, working with local law enforcement, detained the men after bringing the chase to an end outside of Whitefish. Three of the men were identified and kept in custody ahead of court proceedings.

But Mohammed, who gave authorities a fake name, was released. Officials only later learned that he was connected to gang violence in Canada and a suspect in several homicides in two provinces, according to the Daily Inter Lake.

“They give him a ticket for crossing the border illegally and turn him loose in Whitefish,” said County Commissioner Mark Peck (D-1). “I’m not blaming the border patrol. I’m blaming the policy in this country.”

Officials submitted Mohammed’s fingerprints to IDENT, AIS and NGI, but turned up no criminal or immigration history for him. All three are systems federal agencies and law enforcement use to identify individuals.

U.S. law enforcement discovered Mohammed’s criminal history after speaking with their colleagues across the border, according to charging documents. Mohammed is a Somali national and legal permanent resident in Canada, court documents said.

“I think the local guys did their job,” Peck said. “They caught them coming across the border. How in the world could a guy like that get released because they can’t prove he’s not a U.S. citizen? If the guy is not a U.S. citizen … you’re not going to be able to find anything on him.”

County Commissioner Jerry Bennett (D-2) said he suspected that Mohammed would not have flown under the radar very long in the U.S. given his track record.

“Give him three months and you can bet he would be in the system somewhere,” Bennett said.

The trio of commissioners joined U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) and U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) in criticizing the policies that led to Mohammed’s release. In a statement, Rosendale revealed that, along with providing a pseudonym, Mohammed claimed U.S. citizenship.

“The policies and procedures that allowed a criminal alien to be set free in our community need to be examined,” Rosendale said. “I’m following up with the Border Patrol for more information to ensure that Montanans are protected against foreign criminal elements.”

Daines described the situation as “unacceptable.”

“We must work together with law enforcement to protect innocent Montanans and ensure that our laws are working for Americans, not illegal aliens,” he said in a statement.

Both Daines’ and Rosendale’s offices said the lawmakers received briefings on the incident and were monitoring the search for Mohammed.

Sheriff’s offices in northwest Montana have posted wanted posters for Mohammed on social media. Standing at 5-foot-5, Mohammed is described as having a medium build, black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a camouflage jacket, black pants and high cut boots.” Authorities urged anyone who comes across Mohammed to call 911. They discouraged residents from approaching him.

According to the Vancouver Sun, Mohammed is a rapper with ties to the Brothers Keepers gang.

The three other men involved in the cross border incursion face criminal charges in U.S. District Court. Rastesfaye Neil is charged with transporting and harboring illegal immigrants. Afrah Ahmed Abdi is charged with improper entry by an alien. Christopher White faces a charge of being an alien in the U.S. after deportation.

Neil is a native U.S. citizen while Abdi is a Somali national but permanent resident of the U.S. White is a Jamaican national who was deported from the U.S. last year.

Abdi was on the run from second-degree murder charges after allegedly shooting an Ahtahkakoop First Nation man in Saskatoon last year.