Thread: 15 arrests made in first hours of crackdown

15 arrests made in first hours of crackdown
June 26th, 2008 @ 6:17pm
by Colton Shone, Bob McClay, Jim Cross/KTAR, AP wires

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said his crackdown on immigration and other criminal violators in Mesa has yielded 15 arrests within its first three hours.

Arpaio dismissed criticism from about 80 immigrant rights advocates who protested outside his agency's office in Mesa and accused the sheriff office of racially profiling illegal immigrants and Hispanics.

He said the arrests in this and three other sweeps produced arrests of people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. At least five of the people arrested in Mesa during the latest sweep were illegal immigrants.

Protesters on both sides of the immigration issue were in Mesa as sheriff's deputies conducted the latest of Arpaio's so-called crime suppression sweeps.

Richard Ingebretsen of the American Freedom Riders said he has nothing personal against illegal immigrants, but his reason for being there can be summed up in one word.

"Citizenship. Be one. If you're a citizen, move in right next to me," he said.

Salvador Reza of So Mos America said the sweep is a waste of time and called it a publicity stunt.

"He's [Arpaio] just wasting taxpayers' money and if that's what Maricopa County taxpayers want out of their sheriff, well, I'm really sorry for what's happening," Reza said.

An estimated 200 people working for the sheriff's office will focus on Arizona's third-largest city in what's expected to be a two-day crackdown on immigration and other criminal violations in Mesa.

The sheriff has drawn criticism that sweeps in three heavily Hispanic areas of metropolitan Phoenix during late March and early April were thinly veiled immigration patrols fraught with racial profiling. A total of 150 people, nearly half of whom were illegal immigrants, were arrested in the sweeps.

Immigrants' rights activist Elias Bermudez said his group, Immigrants without Borders, is urging people to stay away from the Mesa sweep if they have immigration issues.

``We're going to have drivers who have a valid driver's license, who have valid identification, they are going to be driving around where Sheriff Joe's going to be and we're going to see if he's not racial profiling," Bermudez said.

He said the sheriff's ``actions are terrorizing our community. It is so unfortunate that, when he has the power to truly arrest criminals, he's going after the most vulnerable people and those are the people who are here to work."

Arpaio said his deputies don't racially profile people and don't expect troubles from protesters in Mesa.

Mesa Police Chief George Gascon, who was miffed at the way he heard about the sheriff's operation, said he has a plan of action to deal with the opposing groups who will show up.

``What we want to ensure is that we provide a safe environment for everyone who goes there to express their political views," Gascon said. ``Number two, we want to ensure that we provide a safe environment for our residents and for our businesses, and, thirdly, that we ensure appropriate traffic flow through the area."

Fabian Cota with the Mesa Police Association said Arpaio is sending the wrong message. "The message that I'm receiving from him is that he's very unprofessional to put the lives of other officers and the community at risk for a publicity sweep. Seems a bit extreme to me for a professional."

But Cota admitted the sheriff is entitled to use his resources however he wants.

Mesa Mayor Scott Smith said he hopes the operation goes well, without problems.

``Emotions are running high. This has now turned into a media event, almost more than a law enforcement event," Smith told News/Talk KTAR's Larry Gaydos. ``When you have that combination, it can get volatile."

Some residents have different views of Arpaio's planned crime sweep.

One woman said if she had the chance to talk to Arpaio, she would say, "get out of here and leave us alone."

One male resident had a completely different view of what he'd say to the sheriff. "Keep on doing what you're doing Joe, but also realize that your actions could lead to you being removed from office."

Another Mesa resident agreed. "If he's doing his job and if he thinks it's the right way to do it, hey, why not go for it?"





http://ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=878877

It's a two day operation, so hopefully it will prove to be fruitful, despite all of the protests, and advance warnings.