Sheriff's deputies arrest 35 suspected illegal immigrants (Arizona Republic)

Sheriff's deputies arrest 35 suspected illegal immigrants
by Allison Hurtado - Feb. 17, 2010 03:27 PM
The Arizona Republic

Maricopa County sheriff's deputies arrested 35 suspected illegal immigrants Tuesday night in three separate cases.

Deputies pulled over three vehicles between 3 and 7 p.m. for traffic violations and found 11 immigrants in two of the vehicles and 13 crammed into another. The vehicles were found by the sheriff's Human Smuggling Unit.

The majority of those arrested were booked into the county jail on suspicion of violating a state human smuggling law. Sheriff Joe Arpaio would not disclose where the arrests were made.

Arpaio said his deputies will continue to enforce state and federal immigration laws.

Arpaio launched a new training program last week that will give nearly 900 sheriff's deputies Office training on their authority to enforce federal immigration laws.

Arpaio said the decision was necessary after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security removed the authority of 100 deputies to serve as ICE agents.

Critics say Arpaio's immigration-enforcement priorities are misguided.