ICE detains driver whose child died in rollover collision on I-17 in Phoenix last month

A woman whose child was killed in a rollover crash on a Phoenix freeway last month has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, officials announced Monday.

Brenda Liliana Rivera-Estrada, 30, is a Mexican citizen who entered the U.S. through Nogales 17 years ago with authorization to remain in the country for up to 30 days, according to ICE.

Rivera-Estrada was driving on northbound Interstate 17 with her four children as passengers when her car rolled over near Peoria Avenue the morning of April 12, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

A 9-year-old girl who was sharing a seat belt with a sibling was ejected during the single-vehicle collision and pronounced dead at the scene.

Rivera-Estrada and her other three children — an 11-year-old boy, a 3-year-old boy and a 1-year-old girl — were treated for their injuries at a hospital and released.

Prosecutors said Rivera-Estrada was seen driving erratically before the rollover and that troopers smelled marijuana coming from her vehicle afterward.

When did ICE take custody of driver in deadly rollover crash?

Rivera-Estrada was booked into Maricopa County’s Intake, Transfer and Release jail on one count of manslaughter and four counts of child abuse.

ICE maintains a presence at the jail and interviews everyone processed there to determine their immigration status as part of its Criminal Alien Program. That’s how the agency became aware of Rivera-Estrada’s situation.

She was transferred to ICE custody April 16.

“The identification and arrest of Brenda Liliana Rivera-Estrada by ICE underscores the importance of the Criminal Alien Program and highlights the public safety efforts undertaken by officers with Enforcement and Removal Operations,” Alejandro Almeida, deputy field office director for ERO Phoenix, said in a news release.

ICE will hold Rivera-Estrada until her immigration case is completed, officials said.

“Her fate now rests with the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, and any available administrative or judicial appellate recourse, which will determine her eligibility to remain in the United States,” Almeida said.

Does woman still face prosecution for rollover crash, child’s death?

Meanwhile, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office told KTAR News 92.3 FM that it is still working on the case and can prosecute somebody in ICE custody.

“We did not decline to prosecute. The case was furthered for additional investigation, including getting DUI lab results and completing a collision analysis,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in an emailed statement.

“I’ve said this many times: We have one chance to get this right. Complex cases like this routinely take time to gather the evidence needed to prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt.”

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