By SUZANNE DOWNING
Feb. 26, 2026 – While much of Alaska’s recent immigration debate has centered on the high-profile detention and deportation of a family in Soldotna, a quieter case in Juneau is raising a set of political questions.
In mid-February, 46-year-old Darwin Mendez-Cando, originally from Ecuador, was arrested by Juneau Police during a routine traffic stop. The stop occurred around 9:35 pm on Feb. 16 after officers observed an inoperable headlight. According to police information, Mendez-Cando was charged with driving without a valid license and violating conditions of release tied to a prior 2025 DUI case that occurred in September.
Mendez-Cando was booked into Lemon Creek Correctional Center.
It was during the booking process, not during the traffic stop, that immigration enforcement entered the picture.
Under the Alaska Department of Corrections’ agreement with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, often described as a 287(g)-type arrangement, inmate information is shared with federal authorities. That process triggered an alert to ICE, which placed a federal immigration detainer, or hold, on Mendez-Cando.
Juneau Police were not directly involved in the immigration aspect of the case and do not have a direct working agreement with ICE for immigration enforcement. The immigration notification occurred through DOC procedures after he was taken into custody.
Mendez-Cando’s public record in Juneau includes a Sept. 7, 2025 DUI arrest on Mendenhall Loop Road. He was taken to Lemon Creek Correctional Center following that incident, but released.
His February 2026 arrest stemmed in part from violating release conditions related to that earlier DUI case.
He is currently being held at Anchorage Correctional Center under federal immigration authority.
Mendez-Cando has reportedly been living in Juneau with family members since at least 2024 and applied for asylum in spring 2025, claiming Ecuador as his country of origin.
The case has drawn interest because of Mendez-Cando’s has friends in high places, among prominent Juneau Democrats.
Maureen Hall (nonpartisan), who has represented District 2 on the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly since 2024 and is a retired school nurse, assisted Mendez-Cando and his family in securing housing in 2024. Following his February arrest and transfer to ICE custody, Hall publicly stated that she was working with his spouse and child to provide support. Some describe her as Mendez-Cando’s informal sponsor, although she has not publicly acknowledged the depth of her involvement.
Separately, Bruce Botelho provided limited legal representation to Mendez-Cando’s spouse. Botelho, a longtime figure in Juneau Democratic politics, also serves on the board of The Juneau Independent, a nonprofit online news outlet that launched in recent months. He is the former attorney general and is president of the board of the publication.
Although retired and not allowed to practice law for compensation, Botelho may do so on a limited basis through the Alaska Bar Association’s Emeritus Attorney program, which allows retired or inactive members to provide pro bono (free) legal services through qualified legal service providers without paying active bar dues.
The political relationships add a new dimension to what otherwise began as a traffic stop.
Statewide, immigration enforcement activity has increased, but Juneau-specific cases appear to stem primarily from local arrests that flag immigration status during state custody, not from standalone ICE operations conducted directly in the city.
5 thoughts on “Juneau arrest triggers ICE detainer, and reveals illegal alien’s friends in high places”
Curious to know if the 287(g) type arrangement was in place at the time of his Sept. 2025 DWI arrest? If so, how did that fall through the cracks then? The CBJ law department and JPD should be participating in the immigration notification system….what if the illegal alien had killed or maimed someone? Different rules apply in that type of crime?
“………how did that fall through the cracks then………”
Probably with a single, well placed phone call.
Scott you’re right they should be participating. But the nearly the entire Juneau government structure is dominated by leftists who are of the defund the police, ICE is bad (unless under a democrat president), care more about illegal immigrants and criminals mindset. They are also highly infected with severe TDS. It’s a badge of honor for them to “resist”!! Resist what is not important, only that they are seen to be morally outraged at the appropriate time and about the appropriate issues of the day. Expect nothing good regarding enforcing the law or caring more about their citizens than current political dogma from them.
“………Mendez-Cando’s public record in Juneau includes a Sept. 7, 2025 DUI arrest on Mendenhall Loop Road. He was taken to Lemon Creek Correctional Center following that incident, but released.
His February 2026 arrest stemmed in part from violating release conditions related to that earlier DUI case………..”
Oh, come on, you heartless Republicans! Doesn’t he deserve another 20 or so chances? After all, since Juneau is so full of Democrats, the odds are that the first person he’ll kill driving drunk will be a Democrat.
Juneau could avoid all this if they operated their own jail. That can be expensive. To my knowledge, the State provides that service to municipalities.