http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/stor ... 19c16.html

Lawmaker seeks change in Arizona's immigrant smuggling law

06:09 PM Mountain Standard Time on Thursday, January 11, 2007

By The Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) -- A state lawmaker is seeking to prevent prosecutors from charging the customers of immigrant smugglers as conspirators under Arizona's human trafficking law.

The law targets immigrant smugglers, but Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas says those who paid to be sneaked into the country can also be charged as conspirators to the crime.

Critics say the law was never intended to be used against the customers of smugglers.

Thomas maintains his interpretation was necessary to hold the customers of smugglers responsible for sneaking into the country.

Democratic state Representative Kyrsten Sinema of Phoenix says she was asking the Legislature to make the change because Thomas was misapplying the law.

Thomas says the proposal would end a successful anti-smuggling program in Maricopa County and potentially in the rest of Arizona.

More than 160 people -- most of whom were the customers of smugglers -- were convicted in Maricopa County under the law.