Thread: AZ House Revives Bill 2 Let Police Arrest & Deport

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House Revives Bill to Let Police Arrest and Deport Immigrants

PHOENIX (By Elvia DÃÂ*az, Arizona Republic) April 12, 2005 - Saying that Arizona has become a haven for undocumented immigrants, state Republican lawmakers on Monday revived a bill giving police officers the power to arrest and deport anyone living here illegally.

Republican Rep. Russell Pearce of Mesa successfully used a strike-everything amendment to Senate Bill 1306 in the House Appropriations Committee, which he chairs. A strike-everything amendment is a maneuver in which one bill replaces the contents of an existing bill.

SB 1306 authorizes local police officers to investigate, arrest, detain or deport immigrants here illegally, including transporting them across state lines to detention centers. Certain Arizona cities like Phoenix prohibit the practice in such cases as routine traffic stops and domestic-violence calls.

Some critics of the bill argued it could lead to racial profiling. Others argued it would be too expensive to carry out the requirements in part because police officers would have to be trained and devote a large amount of time to dealing with illegal immigration.

"It's an unfunded mandate," said Lt. Eric B. Edwards, the Phoenix Police Department's legal adviser who spoke on behalf of his department and the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police.Edwards said police groups oppose the bill not only because they lack the manpower to carry it out, but also because they would be under the command of the federal government when dealing with those issues.

Currently, local law enforcement agencies arrest immigrants when they commit serious crimes, Edwards said, but not necessarily because they crossed the border illegally, he added.

That riled Pearce and some of his legislative colleagues who believe police officers routinely let the undocumented just walk away.

"I find that offensive as a taxpayer and a citizen," Pearce told Edwards, saying local police turn a blind eye to illegal immigration. "People come into our communities to commit crimes knowing it's virtually a safe haven once they cross the border."

Rep. Amanda Aguirre, D-Yuma, said the federal government has failed to protect the U.S.-Mexican border, but said that's not the state's role.

"It's just a burden for police officers and agencies throughout the state," said Aguirre, who voted against the bill.

"It's an unfunded mandate," said Lt. Eric B. Edwards, the Phoenix Police Department's legal adviser who spoke on behalf of his department and the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police.Edwards said police groups oppose the bill not only because they lack the manpower to carry it out, but also because they would be under the command of the federal government when dealing with those issues.

Edwards is just mad that the buck stopped on him.