Activists: Obama Administration, Feds Copying Arpaio's Tactics

Updated: Thursday, 21 Apr 2011, 1:27 PM MDT
Published : Thursday, 21 Apr 2011, 1:16 PM

PHOENIX - Usually it's Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio who is the subject of protests, but this time, it's President Obama and the feds, who activists say are copying the Sheriff's tactics.

The owners of Chuy's, Mark Evenson, his son Christopher Evenson and the company's accountant are accused of knowingly hiring illegal immigrants to avoid paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes.

40 suspected illegal immigrants were detained during the massive raids in Arizona and Californnia.

Immigrant rights activists claim the feds are operating on a double standard. On one hand, they talk about immigration reform and then this happens - and instead of working with Chuy's to resolve the tax problems, they conduct these raids.

The head of Immigration Customs Enforcement says Wednesday's raids were sparked by a tip more than a year ago that the company was employing illegal workers - and the three main suspects knowingly dodged thousands in taxes for nearly two years.

He said this case is an example of the Obama administration's ongoing effort to root out companies that knowingly hire illegal workers.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/im ... s-04212011