What Happens When Local Cops Become Immigration Agents? Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s Immigration-Enforcement Activities Impact Budget, Arrest Rates and Response Times

Maricopa Country, Arizona and Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s immigration enforcement activities have made national headlines. While some have praised the Sheriff’s tough stance, others have criticized his tactics, claiming they have led to racial profiling, have emptied county coffers, and have detracted from investigating other serious crimes. A recent New York Times op-ed from Mesa, AZ Police Chief George Gascon presents a very different approach than that of Sheriff Arpaio. Gascon advocates a new national approach to solving the problem of illegal immigration, noting that the local police alone cannot resolve the issues underlying undocumented immigration and cannot be responsible for enforcing the broken system. This week OnPoint highlights a new fact sheet summarizing the remarkable results of a recent East Valley Tribune investigation into Sheriff Arpaio’s immigration enforcement activities.  It is entitled “What Happens When Local Cops Become Immigration Agents? Arizona Sheriff’s Immigration-Enforcement Activities Impact Budget, Arrest Rates and Response Times” (Immigration Policy Center, August 5, 2008).   Click here Download aztribuneseries86081.txt to read it.

KJ