AZ sheriff's officers turn in federal credentials

[Nova78]

PHOENIX — Dozens of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's jail officers lined up at a news conference in Phoenix Wednesday to ceremoniously hand in their federal credentials a week after they were stripped of the ability to verify the immigration status of inmates.

Arpaio spoke at the same news conference, saying he's going to hold the federal government to its promise to send 50 federal agents to do such screening in his jail. But he predicted there will be illegal immigrants in jail who won't be deported and will be put back on streets.

"I want to see how many agents are going to be coming to our jail," the sheriff said. "I want to see how long it will take for 50 agents from across the country to work in our jails."

The Department of Homeland Security announced Dec. 15 that more than 90 of Arpaio's Maricopa County jail officers could no longer check whether inmates were in the county illegally.

The decision followed the release of a scathing Department of Justice report that said Arpaio's office has a pattern of racially profiling Latinos, basing immigration enforcement on racially charged citizen complaints and punishing Hispanic jail inmates for speaking Spanish. The sheriff has denied the allegations.

Homeland Security officials had no immediate comment on Arpaio's comments on Wednesday.

On Monday, the agency said in a letter to U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl that it would send immigration agents to screen jail inmates in Arizona's most populous county. Arpaio's aides say only one Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer has worked at the county jails since last week.

Homeland Security's decision wasn't the first time Arpaio's federal immigration powers were cut.

In October 2009, Immigration and Customs Enforcement stripped Arpaio of his power to let 100 deputies make federal immigration arrests, but still allowed his jail officers to determine the immigration status of people in jail.

Wow ,the feds will no longer protect its citizens from forgien invaders,AZ needs help and the Government ties there hands....

 

[LilOlLady]

This is the reason we cannot control illegal immigration and drug smuggling and illegal alien crime.

 

[Mr. H.]

Calling the Feds' bluff. I like that.

 

[Katzndogz]

obama just withdrew National Guard forces from the border too.

Looks like a pattern.

 

[PredFan]

Sherriff Joe is a hero, Obama and his goon squad are criminals.

 

[Againsheila]

I think everyone who's ever been denied entry to this country should sue the federal government for discrimination. I think all LEGAL immigrants should do the same thing, after all, they went though the background checks, the medical checks, paid their fees and followed the process but our government says that people who don't deserve the same rights as them. Why even bother with an immigration law at all if you aren't going to enforce it?

I think the government owes a lot of money in reparations to all the legal immigrants if they are going to let the illegals stay.

 

[jerryh60]

Since Obama has seen fit to remove the troops from the border, we all need to ask ourselves who were those troops. National Guard troops. Texas National Guard, New Mexico National Guard, Arizona National Guard, and we not gonna include California. The Governor of each state has the authority to mobilize those troops. The Governors need to step up and tell the Federal Government where to get off. And tell them if they not capable of defending our borders, then we as a State will do it for you.

 

[jerryh60]

Each State has the right to protect it's citizens by any means necessary, and if that means mobilizing the State National Guard, then so be it. But I bet it wouldn't take long for Obama and his equally racist buddy Holder to sue each state. I think Texas needs to cut off all services that come from Texas ports and refineries and see what they think. I would be willing to bet they would send Federal troops to enforce their racist demands.

 

[Two Thumbs]

It's an election year. Big 0 is buying votes with the safety of our citizens

 

[Angelhair]

Look - the conclusion is this - the USA does NOT want to stop illegal immigration - period! Neither party will do anything about it until that time that they see this country in the condition that Mexico finds itself in - chaos, lawlessness, misery! And even then, who knows?

 

[Intense]

Maybe Arizona needs to consider cutting State Aid, One Way, non transferable Bus Tickets to Washington DC or anywhere inside the Beltway, would be nice. If that's a problem, they could do Charter Buses.

 

[Intense]

Look - the conclusion is this - the USA does NOT want to stop illegal immigration - period! Neither party will do anything about it until that time that they see this country in the condition that Mexico finds itself in - chaos, lawlessness, misery! And even then, who knows?

Cartels running the show? .... No wait....