Thread: Rick Romley after Sheriff Joe again...

Joe Arpaio's funds for work raids to be pulled by Romley
Sheriff vows to continue efforts despite county attorney's move
195 commentsby Craig Harris - Jul. 1, 2010 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic .

Interim Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley said he will stop sharing state funds beginning today with Sheriff Joe Arpaio to enforce Arizona's employer-sanctions law.

The funds should be used to go after employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants, Romley said, rather than what Arpaio has largely used them for: worksite raids on the illegal workers.

Romley's office controls the state funding. Arpaio's office expected $700,000 this fiscal year.

Arpaio's raids have "created fear in the business community," Romley said, and "no one can question it has not been effective."

The state has allocated nearly $6.8 million for employer-sanctions enforcement since the law took effect Jan. 1, 2008. Two Maricopa County businesses have faced sanctions; one of the cases came from a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation.

None of the other 14 county attorneys in Arizona who received state employer-sanction funds in fiscal 2008 and 2009 shared money with law-enforcement agencies. Lawmakers stopped giving those counties money this past fiscal year after The Arizona Republic reported at least $1.44 million was sitting idle in nine counties because there were so few complaints about employers violating the law.

Romley, who was appointed to his post in April and is now seeking election this November, said his office will keep all $1.2 million in state money for fiscal 2011, which begins today. He said he will use the money to pay for attorneys, legal assistants and detectives to investigate employer-sanctions cases, and to work with and educate the business community. Arpaio said his raids have been successful in cracking down on illegal immigration.

He said 36 investigations have resulted in 415 arrests, with 277 people facing identity-theft charges. Arpaio said he is disappointed that he no longer will get state money but said the raids will continue.

"It doesn't matter. We are still going to do our job," Arpaio said. "There will be no change."

The Sheriff's Office during the past three budget years received nearly $1.5 million of the roughly $3.6 million in state funds dedicated to Maricopa County. Then-County Attorney Andrew Thomas, who resigned in early April to run for attorney general, had shared the money with Arpaio and tasked his office to conduct employer-sanction investigations.

Romley's move is "akin to crippling enforcement" of the law, said House Appropriations Chairman John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, who helped keep employer-sanction funds for Maricopa County.

The Legislature in 2007 passed what has been called the toughest employer-sanctions law in the country. It punishes business operators who knowingly hire illegal immigrants by suspending or revoking their business licenses. The law also requires Arizona employers to use E-Verify, a federal electronic system, to verify if an employee is authorized to work.

The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this week said that it will hear arguments on the constitutionality of the law. A decision is expected next year. Numerous business groups, including the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, have opposed the law, saying it puts an unfair burden on businesses.

Supreme Court to review employer-sanctions law

The Sheriff's Office has used employer-sanction funds to pay the salaries and overtime of six deputies and a sergeant. The money also has funded cellphones, gasoline and seven new leased vehicles for them to use on the job and to drive back and forth to work.

Chief Deputy David Hendershott said the Sheriff's Office had planned to have $700,000 from employer-sanction funds in its 2011 budget. Without the money, he said, the Sheriff's Office will have to absorb the cost in its general fund. The total budget for this fiscal year is $260.3 million, Hendershott said.

"Romley is trying to do everything he can to destroy the enforcement of illegal immigration," Hendershott said. "He's trying to do everything he can to decapitate any efforts we make."

Romley, who as county attorney from 1989 to 2004 often feuded with Arpaio, said his education program will reach out to businesses and provide them with the tools, such as how to use E-Verify, to ensure that they are hiring legal workers.

By centralizing enforcement in his office, Romley said his staff can work with all police agencies in Maricopa County and not rely entirely on the Sheriff's Office.

Reach the reporter at craig.harris@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8478.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepubli ... z0sTLSu86t

Another bozo who's political career will be very short lived

Messing with Arpiao will do that

those people love Sheriff Joe

They need to recall this idiot. Why do these people insist on keeping illegals around? They are helping run up our debt and use our natural resources and keep AMERICAN citizens from being able to produce kids without worring about over population, at this time. They do not really like America, they just want to take from us.

He is an interim appointment - he whould be relieved.

Obama will EO amnesty simply to prove to America that he is in power and control of America. He will go against anything that the people want now simply as a way to humiliate and destroy the will of the people and the sheeple will flock to him for protection.

Mr. Obama did not spend his formative years in company of American citizens and the ones that he was influenced by seems to have been communists and socialists. It seems to me that he views our citizens as big fat, rich sheep ready to be sheared. Just like the Mexicans.

I want to know how he went to college on a Fullbright Scholarship.

haha

ANOTHER American politician has sold his soul to the dark side.

Originally Posted by Newmexican

Mr. Obama did not spend his formative years in company of American citizens and the ones that he was influenced by seems to have been communists and socialists. It seems to me that he views our citizens as big fat, rich sheep ready to be sheared. Just like the Mexicans.

I want to know how he went to college on a Fullbright Scholarship.

We all have a long list of Q&A we want to get to...

Originally Posted by hardlineconstitutionalist

Originally Posted by Newmexican

Mr. Obama did not spend his formative years in company of American citizens and the ones that he was influenced by seems to have been communists and socialists. It seems to me that he views our citizens as big fat, rich sheep ready to be sheared. Just like the Mexicans.

I want to know how he went to college on a Fullbright Scholarship.

We all have a long list of Q&A we want to get to...

You know what's sad about this?

Out of ALL the great Americans who are black, Oprah picked THIS ONE?

She's messed up a few times by standing up for someone, and she's immediately had an apology type of "I didn't know about THIS" show.

She's not doing that about Obama, is she?

One good thing that has come out of this is that this has been an OUTSTANDING platform for the good honest patriotic Americans - who are black - to step up and be counted.

For me, I like to believe that God Himself has managed the entire events for the good of America - and by good, I do not mean the shoving hostile cultures down the throats of Americans like many are doing.

There is a chance that this may be the final straw to turn the country back to what it was...the greatest Nation on earth. We still have the documents to do it if we can get them out of the trash can of congress.