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-Lurid Crime Tales-
Deported From Arizona
2009-10-12
A controversial Arizona sheriff known for taking a hard line against illegal immigrants has been stripped of some of his powers in what he described as a political move by the Obama administration.

Joe Arpaio, a gruff lawman who styles himself as America's toughest sheriff, has won acclaim from US anti-immigrant forces for his relentless pursuit of mostly Hispanic illegal immigrants in Maricopa county, Arizona, a fast-growing county of 4 million people that is home to Phoenix, the nation's fifth largest city.

Under a two-year-old agreement with the federal department of homeland security, Arpaio and his deputies had been authorised to enforce federal immigration law by arresting suspected illegal immigrants in the field and by checking the immigration status of people arrested on other offences.

But after drawing thousands of complaints and a civil rights investigation from the justice department, Arpaio was this week stripped of his federal authority to make immigration arrests. County attorney Andrew Thomas, one of Arpaio's supporters, condemned the "setback in the fight against illegal immigration".

For his part Arpaio has promised to continue chasing illegal immigrants using state laws. In an angry press conference, he called US homeland security officials "liars" and said he would personally drive those caught on the streets to the border if federal officers refused to take arrested illegal immigrants into custody. "I'll take a little trip to the border and turn them over to the border," he said.
This creates an interesting situation. Maricopa county is in central Arizona, but en route to the border, Arpaio would have to pass through very liberal Democrat, very Mexican legal and illegal immigrant Pima county (which includes Tucson). Even more important, he will have to enter the 100-mile "internal perimeter" of the Border Patrol's jurisdiction, where the feds might directly interfere with him.
Posted by:Anonymoose

#5  Perhaps Zero will invite Sheriff Arpaio and an illegal immigrant undocumented worker to the White House for a beer.
Posted by: DMFD   2009-10-12 18:38  

#4  dammit Janet
Posted by: Frank G   2009-10-12 16:03  

#3  Joe Arpaio and the politicians who support him - Andrew Thomas prime among them (Who should run for higher office IMO)- has played a significant role in preventing Phoenix from turning into a California style just-another-one-of-a-dozen-illegal-den-crime-holes.

If the liberal feds slime their way in and muck up what is working for Phoenix, Phoenix becomes another L.A.

IMO, Arizona should, while it still has enough backbone to do it, assert it's 10th ammendment right, then proceed to defend it's borders and cities.

If the feds won't allow them to run immigration checks, they should make state laws that are stricter with regards to employer backround checks, require supporting and verified federal documents before issuing state I.D.s (meaning Arizona will have to verify SS numbers with the feds before issuing state I.D.s - like the employee verification laws) and laws allowing Arizona to deport people - Either to Mexico or another state that will accept them - who don't have the federal documents (SS, Birth Cert or passport) required to get a state I.D.
Posted by: Mike N.   2009-10-12 15:05  

#2  ..where the feds might directly interfere with him.

Forty six years later and the roles are reversed. Will the Federal Government stand before border and declare -

"In the name of the greatest people that have ever trod this earth, I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny, and I say amnesty now, amnesty tomorrow, amnesty forever."

Eloquent and fitting for the transnationalists. Where once the national government stood for LAW, they now stand to oppose LAW. The contract has been broke as in "We the People.."
Posted by: Procopius2k   2009-10-12 10:54  

#1  Attacking law enforcers. Hooray for Obama.
Posted by: gromky   2009-10-12 10:53  

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