Illegal Immigration Watch: Arizona Posse Begins Illegal Alien Crackdown

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio speaks during a news conference held to kick off the beginning of the sheriffs’ departments efforts to find illegal immigrants, Wednesday, May 10, 2006, in Avondale, Ariz. Under a new state law, human smuggling is now a felony crime in Arizona.

The Arizona Republic: Immigration crackdown intensifies

Valley law enforcement agencies are ramping up efforts to combat illegal immigration, but they are using the state’s anti-human-smuggling statute to tackle the problem from two different directions.

On the one hand, a multi-agency financial crimes task force has been using surveillance and undercover operations for the past two months to target smugglers and cripple them financially.

On the other hand, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has mobilized a posse to seek out and arrest undocumented immigrants for conspiracy to smuggle themselves into the United States.

The efforts come on the heels of an anti-human-smuggling statute that took effect in Arizona in August and gave prosecutors a tool to go after “coyotes,” or smugglers, who traffic in undocumented immigrants. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office later issued an opinion saying undocumented immigrants suspected of paying coyotes could be prosecuted as conspirators.

Both approaches initially appear to be having an impact.

On Wednesday, task force officials from Phoenix police, the state Department of Public Safety and the Arizona Attorney General’s Office announced their investigation into human-smuggling operations and money laundering has netted 62 arrests, along with weapons, cars and cash.

It is about damn time. Now, California, New Mexico and Texas should institute similar programs.

The midnight smuggling runs at Los Angeles International Airport where hundreds of illegal Mexicans are smuggled/shipped to other areas of the United States make a mockery of our exisitng immigration laws.

President Bush, GOP Congress are you watching, listening?

Luther Glenn, center, a 12-year member of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Posse, listens as Sheriff Joe Arpaio addresses the media during a news conference held to kick off the beginning of the department’s efforts to find illegal immigrants, Wednesday, May 10, 2006, in Avondale, Ariz. Under a new state law, human smuggling is now a felony crime in Arizona.

Maricopa County Sheriff deputies Jesse Robinson, left, and Matt Summers look for activity early Monday, May 8, 2006 while patroling the desert near Gila Bend, Ariz. Both deputies are part of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio‘s Posse who search for illegal immigrants in the deserts of Maricopa County.

Stay tuned……

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