The woman in jail awaiting charges of taking a baby from a family's south Minneapolis apartment is facing federal suspicions that she is in the United States illegally, authorities said Thursday.

Isabel Diaz Castillo, 30, was arrested and the infant found late Wednesday afternoon a few miles from where she allegedly snatched 8-month-old Carlos Orozco. His disappearance set off an all-afternoon police search that ended when he was safely found in a Minneapolis home where a relative of Castillo's lives.

Castillo, who befriended the victim's family several months ago, is facing state charges in the abduction. In addition, immigration officials have placed an "immigration detainer" on her. That means that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is requesting that it be notified before local law enforcement releases Castillo at any time.

The detainer, ICE spokesman Shawn Neudauer said, means "you can conclude that she's here illegally." He did not know Castillo's country of origin.

Castillo is expected to be charged Friday in Hennepin County District Court, a spokesman for the county attorney's office said.

Wednesday's drama began just before noon, when a panicked Vicky Orozco called a friend, saying that someone took her baby while she was in the shower.

Authorities received a 911 call and initially thought a stranger had abducted the child from the three-story converted house in the 2100 block of Portland Avenue S., where Carlos lived with his parents and four siblings.

Authorities issued an Amber Alert seeking the public's help in locating Castillo and the child. Hours later, an anonymous tip directed officers to a home in the 3700 block of 3rd Avenue S., where the boy was found. Police Chief Janeé Harteau said officers found the baby in the basement, apparently unharmed. □

Star Tribune staff writer Maya Rao contributed to this report. Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482