Sheriffs say feds being unrealistic.
Republican faithful hear about border security legislation issues

Sun, 02/13/2011 - 00:01




Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, left, chats with Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever at Saturday’s Lincoln Day Dinner, held in the Knights of Columbus Hall. (Mark Levy • Herald/Review)

By Bill Hess

SIERRA VISTA — A pair of outspoken Arizona sheriffs said if the state does not lead the way, the federal government will eventually kow-tow to those who want immigration reform without securing the border.



Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever said the state is under attack by the ACLU and the U.S. Department of Justice for attempting to address what is a federal responsibility when it comes to the border.

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said the federal government is trying to brainwash the American public, saying the border is safe and secure.

The two spoke to more than 150 people at Saturday’s Lincoln Day Dinner, an annual event hosted by the Cochise County Republican Committee.

Dever, who resigned Friday from a federal, state and local law enforcement group because of the U.S. government’s ineffective handling of border security, said his decision to quit was reached when U.S. Border Patrol and Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin said, in Spanish, that ‘no more’ will those who cross the international boundary with Mexico to do illegal activities be tolerated, and they would be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

The sheriff said when Arizona’s SB1070 was approved and signed into law, one of the Justice Department’s contentions was the bill would only focus on Hispanics.

But with Bersin speaking Spanish, and with billboards at different U.S. Border Patrol road checkpoints with the names of wanted individuals, who all have Hispanic names, the federal government is doing what they claim would happen with SB1070.

“That is racial profiling,â€