For Mexican, bid to succeed in US is over

A Mexican illegal immigrant once embraced by Minnesotans as a charity case pleaded guilty yesterday 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 local residents. 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.

In late March, he turned up in Boston's North End, in a struggle with an apartment tenant. He was arrested and charged with breaking and entering. Serrano has been held in Suffolk County Jail since then.

Yesterday, he pleaded guilty in Boston Municipal Court. Municipal Court Judge Raymond G. Dougan Jr. sentenced Serrano to one year in prison with six months suspended. Jailed for six months already, he was handed over to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

RAJA MISHRA