Thread: Gilbert officials split on Arpaio sweeps

April 12, 2008 - 5:03AM
Gilbert officials split on Arpaio sweeps
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David Biscobing, Tribune
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has made it clear. He's coming to the East Valley.

Arpaios migrant, crime patrol targets Guadalupe

Guadalupe leaders angry with Arpaio

Cooperation or clash between Arpaio, Gascón?

The sheriff received a letter last week from eight East Valley lawmakers inviting him to the area, and he's already made plans to bring his sweeps, which target illegal immigrants, to Mesa.

But two of the lawmakers are Gilbert Reps. Andy Biggs and Eddie Farnsworth, and many town leaders are confused as to why the two have decided to associate Gilbert with the highly controversial operation.

"There's a lot more fertile ground to find illegals than Gilbert," Town Councilman Don Skousen said. "I'm failing to see it as a problem here, and I'm not seeing people standing on our corners.

"I think it'd be a waste of time, and I don't see the point," he said.

Even Arpaio said that Gilbert isn't on his radar.

The letter, written by Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, was sent to the sheriff's office April 3. It states that the lawmakers are "so disappointed" in many of their municipal and police administrators.

But before signing their names, Republicans Biggs and Farnsworth never contacted Gilbert police or other Gilbert officials. Neither returned phone calls from the Tribune seeking comment.

However, Mayor Steve Berman said it's not unusual for the two representatives to act without consulting town leaders.

"We don't talk," he said. "The voice and communication between us isn't good because we have disagreed about some issues in the past.

"But in this situation, I don't disagree with them," Berman said. "In fact, I would welcome the sheriff, but it doesn't seem like we need it."

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office descended on neighborhoods in east Phoenix and the small town of Guadalupe in recent weeks.

Deputies arrested more than 165 people in Phoenix last month, 75 of whom were in the country illegally. In Guadalupe, more than 50 deputies, 30 patrol cars and 60 civilian volunteers swept through on April 3 and 4.

Both sweeps drew heavy criticism from immigration activists. And Phoenix and Guadalupe officials openly blasted Arpaio for the operations, calling them "made-for-TV stunts" and that they set "the stage for shouting matches, confrontations or worse."

In Mesa, police are preparing for the immigration sweeps by the sheriff's office. Mesa police are readying riot gear and making plans on how to handle outbursts or protests.

Mesa police Chief George Gascón has also asked for two days' notice from the sheriff before deputies move in.

Arpaio spoke with Mayor Berman last week, and the sheriff said Berman made it clear that illegal immigration isn't a concern in Gilbert.

While the sheriff said he's received several dozen letters from Mesa residents asking him to move into the city, no one besides Biggs and Farnsworth has brought Gilbert to his attention, he said.

Gilbert police officials also said no town residents or business members have raised the issue with them.

The lawmakers' letter states: "Law enforcement can no longer sit on the sidelines and be a spectator to the destruction of the Rule of Law and the degradation of our streets and our neighborhoods."

But Gilbert is the safest community in the East Valley, according to FBI crime data.

Gilbert police haven't kept statistics about how many crimes are committed by illegal immigrants, police Sgt. Mark Marino said. While the department is starting to implement a records system that can track that information, officials said they don't think it will reveal anything new.

"We haven't requested assistance from the sheriff's office, and we don't feel it's necessary," Marino said.

Gilbert officers do not do actively patrol for illegal immigrants. The department's policy is to inquire about a person's residency status only after an arrest.

"We ask everyone who is arrested if they are in the country legally, regardless of race and ethnicity," Marino said.

The town's police policy is in line with every other East Valley department.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is the only agency to actively pursue illegal immigrants.

However, some Gilbert officials proposed changing the policy more than a year ago when the town was in the center of a heated debate over illegal immigration.

Hispanic activists came to Gilbert in March 2007 after three teens caught drag racing were deported after officers turned them over to federal immigration officials.

The three were speeding more than 20 miles over the limit. After the driver told an officer he was an illegal resident, the officer contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

During the ordeal, the mayor and other leaders pushed for a policy to turn over all illegal immigrants that police come in contact with.

That policy wasn't adopted, and Mesa backed out of a similar proposal last year.

But since last March, the illegal immigration discussion in Gilbert has been quiet, said Pat Krueger, chairwoman of the Gilbert's Human Relations Commission, a group created to ensure that all citizens are treated respectfully and equally.

"To be honest, we have not broached the subject because it hasn't come up," Krueger said. "We haven't had anyone telling us this is a problem or that it's something that they want us to look into it."

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/113662

There's a lot more fertile ground to find illegals than Gilbert," Town Councilman Don Skousen said. "I'm failing to see it as a problem here, and I'm not seeing people standing on our corners






There's good reason for that and it's called $$$$$.

The rich and wealthy have turned Gilbert into their own personal enclave. What must be tolerated by the rest of us, will not be tolerated there.

The only illegals you will find there are the ones working as dosmetics and personal groundskeepers. They just don't have to worry about them overrunning the place. Plenty of HOAs and other ways, not to mention cost, which makes sure that doesn't happen.