Thursday, 4:30 PM
A cause celebre in Minnesota, a criminal in Boston
By Raja Mishra, Globe Staff
A Mexican illegal immigrant once embraced by Minnesotans as a deserving charity case pleaded guilty today to breaking and entering in Boston.
Francisco Javier Serrano's plea means his strange American odyssey will end where it began: He will be deported to Mexico.
Serrano, 22, was found last year living inside a Minneapolis high school, his tale of struggle and homelessness galvanizing locals as news of his plight spread. News accounts dubbed him the "Apple Valley High squatter," and Serrano told his newfound friends that he sought to attend a US college and become an inventor. Soon, he had a rent-free downtown apartment, an immigration lawyer, and a wealthy benefactor.
Still, his bid to stay in the United States failed, and he tearfully boarded a plane back to Mexico on Jan. 5. Or so thought his supporters, who came to see him off at the airport.
In April, he turned up in Boston's North End, where police arrived to find Serrano in a struggle with an apartment tenant. He was arrested and charged with breaking and entering. His Minnesota supporters were shocked and disillusioned. Serrano has been held in Suffolk County Jail since on $25,000 cash bail and an immigration retainer.
Today, he pleaded guilty to the charge in Boston Municipal Court, admitting that he had broke into the apartment. The intended victim had fought him off with a frying pan until police apprehended him, authorities said.
Municipal Court Judge Raymond Dougan, Jr. sentenced Serrano to one year in prison with six months suspended. Since Serrano had already been in jail for six months, he was released into the custody of US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials.
