Plenty of comments are being left after this story.
~~~
Sheriff Moves on Day Laborers
October 16th, 2007 @ 1:15pm
by Jim Cross and Jana Baybado/KTAR

Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Tuesday he has every right to crack down on day laborers in Phoenix.

``I happen to be the county sheriff. I think Phoenix happens to be in the county. I go into Phoenix all the time to do investigations," Arpaio told FM News/Talk 92-3 KTAR's Darrell Ankarlo.

Arpaio's comments came a day after he arrested six illegal immigrants near 36th Street and Thomas, triggering an angry response from immigrants' rights activists who called for a boycott against Pruitt's Furniture, one of the businesses that had complained about day laborers gathering in the area.

``There are a lot of problems on that corner that haven't been resolved by Phoenix," Arpaio said. He said business owners "came to my office and wanted something done, so I promised I would do it and it's not over yet."

According to the sheriff's office, the business complaints were not being addressed by Phoenix police, who said it was a federal problem.

Mayor Phil Gordon backed Phoenix Police when he talked to Ankarlo.

"The City of Phoenix Police, 3,000, are doing a lot in immigration, fighting the criminals, the violent criminals," Gordon said.

Gordon defended the Phoenix Police.

"The Sheriff is using his resources as he believes, but he also has officers that are trained as federal immigration agents that have the legal ability to do certain things that our officers don't," Gordon said.

Immigrant rights supporters are protesting the arrests.

"We are declaring a boycott against Pruitt's Furniture starting today," said Salvadore Reza. "And starting two weeks from now we're going to start a series of demonstrations every Saturday here."

Reza said day laborers had an agreement with the store's owner that they wouldn't be bothered.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio admits that store owner Roger Sansing visited him six weeks ago to complain about the laborers near his property.

The sheriff says the six people were arrested during routine traffic stops of vehicles driving in the area.

Immigrants' rights activists staged a boycott against the furniture store last year after it hired private security agents. The protesters said the security agents harassed day laborers and violated their constitutional rights.


http://ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=621545