MCSO to hire new deputies to arrest illegal immigrants, smugglers

Apr 21, 2007

MESA, Ariz. -- The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is getting funds to hire 15 new deputies whose main job will be to arrest illegal immigrants and human smugglers and enforce Arizona's anti-coyote law.


The sheriff's office has been using the law to arrest the people who are smuggled across the border as conspirators with human smugglers.

Deputies have arrested 523 illegal immigrants under the law in the last year, according to sheriff's spokesman Lt. Paul Chagolla.

The funds will come from the state Legislature, which doled out $2 million earmarked for the enforcement of the anti-coyote law, which became effective in August 2005, and a 15 percent match approved Wednesday from Maricopa County.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio said some of the new deputies also may receive training from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has agreed to train as many as 160 deputies and detention officers to enforce federal immigration laws.

http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=6406894