MCSO: Undocumented immigrants evade deputy, later caught
Reported by: Brent Roulier
Email: broulier@abc15.com
Last Update: 4/06 9:34 pm

(Anthony Reed) Some undocumented immigrants evaded a deputy during a traffic stop, only to be stopped by the same deputy hours later, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

It happened Sunday near Buckeye.

According to MCSO, the deputy conducted a traffic stop on a van he said had been driving erratically. During the stop, several suspected undocumented immigrants fled from the van and ran into the desert.

Several hours later, the same deputy conducted another traffic on a different van in the same area.

This time, another large group of suspected undocumented immigrants fled and ran into the desert as well.

However, the deputy captured one of the fleeing suspects who admitted he was part of the same group who ran from him earlier.

Other deputies managed to capture eleven more undocumented immigrants.

An investigation determined they had all paid to be smuggled into the country illegally.

"These smugglers appear to be getting more organized in their efforts to evade my deputies, but it's not working," said Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Arpaio took an opportunity to slam the Congressional hearings being held in Washington D.C., in which lawmakers are trying to determine whether or not Arpaio's office uses racial profiling tactics. Opponents of Arpaio say he is violating people's civil rights.

"While Congress and the Attorney General are trying to intimidate me from doing my job through these hearings prompted by open-border activists and politicians, illegal aliens are still coming into the country and I will continue to enforce all aspects of state and federal immigration laws," said Arpaio.


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