Thread: Pinal Co., AZ: Deputies to get federal immigration training

Deputies to get federal immigration training
http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2007 ... ews_12.txt

MESA (AP) -- The Pinal County Sheriff's office plans to get some of its officers trained in enforcing elements of federal immigration law.

While state and local police have generally stayed out of immigration enforcement in the past, an increasing number of agencies nationwide have applied to have their officers trained to make immigration arrests or speed up deportations.

Pinal County Sheriff Chris Vasquez said he initially plans to get five deputies and five detention officers trained and will do this periodically until most deputies are trained.

The five weeks of training will include lessons on immigration law, anti-racial profiling efforts and instructions on questioning people about their immigration status without violating civil rights.

The training will better prepare deputies and jailers to follow Proposition 100, a voter-approved law that denies bail for illegal immigrants accused of serious crimes, Vasquez said.

"I don't want to have us make a mistake where someone under Prop. 100 should have been deemed an undocumented alien and because of our lack of knowledge or training we send them over there and they get released on bail when they should not," Vasquez said.

Under the training, some state and local officers in the field could make immigration arrests while carrying out their regular duties, but couldn't set up roadblocks, conduct raids or take actions for the sole purpose of making immigration arrests.

Some officers for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and Arizona Department of Corrections have already received the federal training.

Immigration activists expressed concern about the training sought by the Pinal County Sheriff's office.

"I just don't think it's the right place to be enforcing the federal laws," said Lindsay Marshall, acting executive director of the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project, which helps immigrants across Arizona with legal services.

She said the repercussions could come with an increasing number of people with minor violations being put through removal proceedings, and immigrants could be driven from cooperating with local law enforcement.

"It's not my intent to go and do immigration's job and go do illegal roundups," he said. "My job is to give my guys the tools that if we do come across undocumented aliens we have the tools, the training and the knowledge to do it the right way."

She said the repercussions could come with an increasing number of people with minor violations being put through removal proceedings

I am so sick of hearing this! They act like they shouldn't be touched unless they commit a major felony! They don't need ANY violations to be deported....the first one is plenty enough!