US Seizes Migrant's Life Savings

Pedro Zapeta spent 11 years scrubbing pots in a Florida restaurant, dreaming of the day when he would have enough money to buy a small plot of land in his native Guatemala and build a house for his mother and sisters. When he was ready, he stuffed his $59,000 (£29,000) life savings in a duffel bag and headed for the airport.

But he never made it home. US customs inspectors seized the cash, suspecting that Mr Zapeta was a drugs courier, and immigration officials arrested him for being in the country illegally. Now, after a two-year legal battle in Miami, Mr Zapeta is to be deported while the US treasury keeps the money he earned washing dishes at an average hourly rate of $5.50 (£2.70).

The authorities finally accepted that he had earned the money when he produced pay stubs, but the internal revenue service then laid claim to it because Mr Zapeta admitted he had never paid taxes. His lawyers claim tax officials are also pursuing a further $10,000 in public donations made after his case was publicized last year.

IRS and customs officials declined to comment.