Diane Pineiro-Zucker is reporting for the Daily Freeman Juan Carlos Alonzo Vasquez, the Kingston chef who was picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers July 18, was subsequently found to be in the country illegally, the federal agency said last week. Vasquez, 29, has lived in Kingston since leaving Mexico, 10 years ago. He has been head grill chef at The Anchor in Kingston, for the past two years, the restaurant’s manager, Brandy Walters, said previously. He is now being held at the Orange County Jail, according to an ICE online detainee locator. In an email statement, ICE wrote: “Juan Vasquez is an illegally present citizen and national of Mexico. He entered the United States at an unknown place and time in violation of immigration law, and was arrested by ICE officers July 18 in Kingston, NY. He is currently in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.” In a written statement, Ulster County Executive Mike Hein expressed dismay over the "flawed immigration policy that is being abused at the federal level," and voiced support for Vasquez. Hein said he has reached out to the governor's office about the case "in an effort to secure a more positive outcome..." When alerted to Vasquez's legal status, Deputy County Executive Ken Crannell said that Hein’s statement stands and “has nothing to do with the legal status of this individual.” Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.