Arpaio's posse nets 1 entrant arrest

Sheriff's Office wants to enforce smuggling law
By Amanda Lee Myers
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

AVONDALE — Following a week of tough talk, a 250-member sheriff's posse charged with finding and arresting illegal immigrants made just one arrest in its inaugural desert search early Thursday.

The posse — made up of existing sheriff's deputies and unpaid, trained volunteers — on Wednesday night launched night patrols in the desert and along major roadways southwest of Phoenix.

Members are looking for illegal immigrants to arrest under a state smuggling law that allows local law enforcement to arrest and charge suspected human and drug smugglers with a state-level felony. Smuggling already was a federal felony.

147 arrests since March

Since March, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has arrested 147 illegal immigrants and smugglers under the law as interpreted by Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas.

Thomas argues that the smuggling law can be applied to the smuggled entrants themselves. By paying a smuggler to enter the country, Thomas says an illegal entrant is committing conspiracy to smuggle, punishable by up to two years in jail.

The Sheriff's Office announced last week that it would dedicate an entire posse to arresting illegal entrants under the law.