Suspect, 18, arrested in car crash that killed Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s advisor illegally entered the US in 2021
A suspect in the car death of an adviser to Senator Catherine Cortez Masto entered the US illegally, the Department of Homeland Security revealed.
Elmer Rueda-Linares, 18, was arrested after a horror crash that killed the senator’s 38-year-old senior adviser, Kurt Englehart, on April 6, before his immigration status came under scrutiny by officials.
Originally from Honduras, he was found to have entered the U.S. illegally in 2021 and was placed in Nevada’s Washoe County jail on an “ICE hold,” a statute that gives officials extra time to prepare for deportation.
With Rueda-Linares in custody, the senator’s team paid tribute to Englehart as a “beloved figure across the state.”
Elmer Rueda-Linares, 18, was arrested after a horror crash that killed Kurt Englewood, a senior adviser to Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, on April 6. It was determined that he entered the US illegally in 2021.
Kurt Englehart, 38, had worked for Cortez Masto since 2017 and was described as a “beloved” Nevadan who was “always eager to help a constituent at a moment’s notice.”
The ICE grab of the 18-year-old, first reported by the Reno Gazette-Journalwas ordered two days after the crash.
The detention is an official request by immigration officials to detain a “removable citizen” for up to 48 hours longer than he should be released so that preparations for their deportation can be made.
Rueda-Linares was charged with failure to stop at the scene of an accident and is being held on $100,000 bail.
The Ministry of Homeland Security told the newspaper New York Post that he first entered the country on March 12, 2021, near the port of entry in Rio Grande City, Texas “without inspection by an immigration officer.”
“United States Customs and Border Protection arrested him, and he was later released on his own recognizance on June 22, 2021,” the statement said.
The horror crash occurred around 4:30 a.m. on April 6, and Rueda-Linares is said to have fled the scene before his arrest.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto said her team was “heartbroken” by the news of Englehart’s death, saying he “touched many lives.”
Englehart had previously worked for President Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign and was described as a well-liked and dedicated public servant
Englehart had worked for Cortez Masto since 2017 and was named senior state counselor and director of national outreach last March.
The Democratic senator’s office described the 38-year-old as a “beloved” employee who was “always willing to assist a constituent at a moment’s notice.”
“For the past eight years, Kurt has proudly served in both my campaign and official offices,” Cortez Masto said after news of Englehart’s death, saying her team was “heartbroken.”
“He touched many lives and I know almost everyone in Northern Nevada has a great story about Kurt helping them or making them laugh.”
Englehart had previously worked for President Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign.
When questioned by the Post about the suspect’s immigration status, Cortez Masto’s spokesperson Lauren Wodarski said, “Senator Cortez Masto looks forward to justice and has confidence in local police and prosecutors.”
Cortez Masto had often lobbied for immigration reform, which introduced legislation earlier in 2020 to fix the “broken immigration system.”
Rueda-Linares is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.