ICE wants to deport Wisconsin driver charged with being drunk, causing crash that killed 2 Minnesota teens

Immigration officials are seeking deportation for an allegedly drunken driver charged in connection with a wrong-way crash on a Wisconsin interstate that killed two Minnesota teenagers.

Noelia Saray Martinez-Avila, 30, of Portage, Wis., stands charged in Dane County Circuit Court with two counts of homicide by use of vehicle, driving after her license was revoked and other counts in connection with the fiery crash shortly after midnight on July 20 on Interstate 39 near DeForest. Officials say Martinez-Avila was driving south in the northbound lanes.

Killed in the other SUV were the driver, Brady Heiling, 19, of Clara City, Minn., and passenger Hallie Helgeson, 18, of Montevideo, Minn., according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Heiling died Saturday, while Helgeson died soon after the crash about 15 miles north of Madison.

Martinez-Avila remains held Monday in the Dane County jail in lieu of $250,000 bail for each count ahead of an Aug. 28 court appearance. Her attorney declined to comment about the allegations.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Sunday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an arrest detainer against Martinez-Avila, a Honduran national.

Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that “Hallie Helgeson and Brady Heiling had their whole lives ahead of them — and they would still be alive today if it weren’t for Noelia Saray Martinez-Avila — a criminal illegal alien from Honduras. ... ICE has lodged an arrest detainer to remove this public safety threat from the U.S. Unfortunately, this sanctuary jurisdiction has a history of not honoring ICE arrest detainers often leading to the release of murderers and other heinous criminals."

As part of its crackdown on undocumented immigrants living in the United States, the White House has criticized local authorities in various parts of the country for their policies of providing sanctuary by declining to assist ICE with its deportation efforts. A message has been left with the Dane County Sheriff’s Office seeking response to McLaughlin’s statement.

According to the criminal complaint:

A trooper sent to the scene saw the teenagers’ heavily damaged Volkswagen SUV facing north and Martinez-Avila’s Chevy SUV facing south and engulfed in flames. The trooper saw opened and unopened cans of beer in the Chevy’s front passenger seat.

Emergency medical responders gave aid to Helgeson, but she died at the scene. An injured Heiling was on the pavement near the concrete median. Passersby had removed him from the wreckage. He was taken by air ambulance to a hospital and died there.

Martinez-Avila told the trooper that she was driving from Madison to her home. The trooper detected an odor of alcohol and heard Martinez-Avila say she thought she already was in her hometown of Portage. She said she hadn’t had a drink for the past eight hours.

The trooper submitted Martinez-Avila to a preliminary breath test, which measured her blood alcohol content at 0.208%, about 2½ times the legal limit for driving in Wisconsin.

Helgeson graduated in May from Montevideo High School, where she participated in tennis, basketball and softball.

“Her teammates will remember her as a reliable source of leadership, encouragement, positivity, and laughter,” the obituary read. “Hallie was a member of the National Honor Society [and] planned to continue her education in the fall of 2025 at Lake Area Technical College in Watertown, South Dakota, pursuing a degree as an occupational therapy assistant.”

Heiling graduated in 2024 from MACCRAY/Renville County West High School. He went to the state track and field meet that year as a shot-putter.

Heiling’s mother, Jen Heiling, revealed on CaringBridge.org that her son’s Apple Watch “alerted authorities to the crash.”

She added that Heiling’s death has left the family “sick with sorrow, but we will strive to continue your legacy by shining love and light to the world and to be the best humans we can be in honor of you and [Helgeson].”