Thread: Mexico protests Tent City separation of illegals

Mexico protests Tent City separation of illegals
The Associated PressPublished: February 11, 2009


MEXICO CITY: Mexico on Tuesday criticized an Arizona sheriff's decision to keep illegal immigrants separate from other inmates at tents in Phoenix that house prisoners.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio accompanied the immigrant inmates — along with members of the media — to Tent City from an area jail on Feb. 4. He suggested illegal immigrants were better at escaping than other criminals and that housing them separately would save money.

The Mexican Foreign Relations Department said 230 Mexican nationals were being held at Tent City.

The Mexican consul general in Phoenix has "energetically protested the undignified way in which the Mexicans were transferred to 'Tent City,'" the department said in a statement. The department said the treatment and transfer of prisoners should "conform to internationally recognized norms" but did not give more details about why it thought the prisoners had been mistreated.

Arpaio said Mexican officials have not expressed any discontent personally to him and that he was surprised by Tuesday's statement. He said he was told that the Mexican officials who visited the prisoners at Tent City expressed satisfaction over conditions.

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"Everything was good, so I don't know what this is about," Arpaio told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

Arpaio said keeping illegal immigrants in one place is convenient for consulate officials visiting foreign inmates and for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents charged with deporting the inmates after they have served sentences in county jails.

He also said that the separation involved not only illegal immigrants but also U.S. citizens who have orders to be transferred to the federal government after serving out their sentences. But he said the vast majority of those held in the separate area were illegal immigrants.

Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox has expressed concern that Arpaio could potentially be violating the immigrants' rights by keeping them separated and would seek an opinion from the Justice Department and have staff there issue an opinion.

Alessandra Soler Meetze, executive director of the ACLU of Arizona, has said it was degrading and unnecessary to shepherd the prisoners in front of media.

The Tent City is part of a tough atmosphere that made Arpaio nationally famous. His jails also feature chain gangs and pink underwear for male inmates.http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/02/ ... t-City.php

And it is not degrading to jump the border?

First, great job Sheriff Joe. You are a freakin H E R O

second, For you, Mexico, to have your people break our laws and then you make demands of us, its infuriating and comical at the same time.

Drop dead Mexico. Take all your people back and then we can finish that nice, great big wall and we can stay on our respective sides.

I would think that Americans living in the adjacent tent city have the same conditions in which to live

being a 21 year veteran i can assure you that these living conditions are MUCH better than those our soldirs have to endure

So Mexico can take it's third world Mexican Foreign Relations Department and go pound sand

bye~bye dont come back and lay off the bean burritos.. it is giving you nut cases Dillussions of Granduer as if what you have to say carries any weight

Booo hooo hooo! Maybe Mexico would like to do the right thing and come over and take these poor sole back home to Mexico?

i protest mexico and the government aiding and abetting their people to illegally enter the USA.

so take that MEXICO and shut the hell up
This American does not care what the hell you think

Seems to me he is protecting them from the harder criminals

Wait till summer it goes over 110 out there

Originally Posted by jimpasz

Wait till summer it goes over 110 out there

but hey... it's even hotter in Mexico and our soldiers are in tents in Iraq and Temps reach 125 - 129 average daily

they dont want to live in tents... go back to Mexico, stay in Mexico and start building mud huts for all I care

Let's just see how much the Obama Admin bends to Mexico's wish list.