Pearce Demands End to Sanctuary Cities.

Arizona State Senate

1700 W. Washington St., Phoenix, AZ 85007

Sen. Russell Pearce, R-18
Chair, Senate Appropriations Committee
602-926-5760

NEWS RELEASE


Oct. 21, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Pearce Demands End to Sanctuary City and “Catch and Release” Policies

Legislation would crack down on these illegal practices



(STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX) – State Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, J.D. Hayworth, Phoenix Law Enforcement Association President Mark Spencer and others today demanded the end to sanctuary city and “catch and release” policies and pledged to deal with recent attempts by the federal government to erode the progress made in Arizona in combating this problem. Pearce announced he will file a citizen’s initiative and has the support of the Governor’s Office to eliminate these illegal practices.



“We pledge to work with the governor to end these ‘catch and release’ policies and remove the political handcuffs on our law enforcement. Enough is enough,” Pearce said. “The Governor’s Office has assured me they will work with us to end these illegal policies and support our law enforcement and our Hometown Heroes.”



Pearce points to the federal government and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano for trying to erode the progress made in Arizona with our tough and effective laws.



“If our leaders want to address the growing disdain, they must first restore trust with the American people. If you say you are going to secure our borders, then secure them, if you say you are going to enforce the law, then enforce it. If you take an oath of office then keep it,” Pearce declared.



Pearce unveiled his legislation, the “Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act,” that would crack down on illegal immigration in the following three ways:


1. Outlawing sanctuary city policies by prohibiting cities and towns in Arizona from limiting or restricting enforcement federal immigration laws to less than the full extent of the law. This state has seen and continues to see various open border special interests groups constantly apply pressure to give illegal immigrants a pass. Outlawing sanctuary cities makes sure the dedicated men and women in Arizona law enforcement are not handcuffed by bureaucrats who would turn a blind eye to the illegal immigration crisis.



2. The second provision would make it a Class 1 misdemeanor for an illegal alien to enter into or be on any public or private land in Arizona if they are in violation of federal immigration law. The charge is elevated to a Class 4 felony if someone is convicted, deported and they return to Arizona. The charge would rise to a Class 2 felony if this person violates this section of the law while committing other crimes involving illegal drugs, weapons or terrorism.



3. The third provision puts some needed teeth in the state’s employer sanctions law. It would give civil subpoena power to prosecuting agencies enabling them to question witnesses and obtained needed documentation. That’s the same type of authority that is used by the Arizona Insurance Department and the Department of Liquor License and Control. This authority will give prosecutors the ability to more efficiently and more quickly investigate claims. It will essentially open the second half of the employer sanctions law that up until now has dealt primarily with criminal complaints against employees.



“We have seen sharp decreases in both crime and illegal immigration, which demonstrates that enforcement works. What we need to do now is safeguard that enforcement by making some much needed changes in state law. Illegal immigration creates one of the greatest hardships on working families who live in neighborhoods impacted by kidnappings, home invasions, gangs, drugs and drop houses. They see their wages depressed by greedy business owners who exploit an illegal work force. This law will also have a deterrent effect. Until the federal government wakes up to the crisis, illegal border crossers will at least be on notice to stay out of Arizona,” Pearce said.



County Attorney Andrew Thomas said “I greatly appreciate Sen. Pearce’s continuing efforts to reign in illegal immigration by giving law enforcement and prosecutors the tools they need to address this crisis. By strengthening our employer sanctions law, outlawing sanctuary city policies, and making it a crime to illegally immigrate into Arizona, this legislation would send a strong deterrent message to would-be illegal immigrants and the people who hire them.”



Sheriff Joe Arpaio stated, “This new legislation is very important given the fact that the federal government has moved to restrict my authority to enforce illegal immigration laws. Their recent action in doing so makes this legislation even more critical to ensure that state laws are in place so I can continue to do my job.”



Officer Mark Spencer, president of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association stated, “It’s never wrong to support the rule of law. Phoenix Police officers see a clear connection between illegal immigration and the quality of life in the city of Phoenix. When it comes to illegal immigration, rank and file Phoenix police officers have paid a heavy price protecting our communities. Over 80 percent of PLEA members are supportive of legislation that gives them the discretionary ability to enforce immigration statutes.”



Pearce shifted his plan to address this crisis from a call for an immediate special session to filing a citizen’s initiative and letting the voters decide. He remains open to tackling it in a special session or in the regular session that begins in January. He is pleased to have the support of the Governor’s Office to end these illegal practices.



Supporters of this legislation include the following members of the Arizona Legislature:

Rep. Frank Antenori

Rep. Cecil Ash

Rep. Ray Barnes

Rep. Andy Biggs

Rep. Judy Burges Rep. Steve Court

Rep. Rich Crandall

Rep. Sam Crump

Rep. Doris Goodale

Rep. David Gowan

Rep. Laurin Hendrix

Rep. John Kavanagh

Rep. Debbie Lesko

Rep. Lucy Mason

Rep. Nancy McLain

Rep. Steve Montenegro

Rep. Rick Murphy

Rep. Warde Nichols

Rep. Franklin Pratt

Rep. Michele Reagan

Rep. Carl Seel

Rep. David Stevens

Rep. Andy Tobin

Rep. Jerry Weiers

Rep. Jim Weiers

Rep. Vic Williams

Rep. Steve Yarbrough

Sen. Sylvia Allen

Sen. Bob Burns

Sen. Ron Gould

Sen. Linda Gray

Sen. Jack Harper

Sen. John Huppenthal

Sen. Al Melvin

Sen. Jonathan Paton

Sen. Steve Pierce

Sen. Thayer Verschoor

Sen. Jim Waring



Additional supporters of the “Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act” include:

Latest poll: 89 percent of the public
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio
Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas
Mark Spencer, president, Phoenix Law Enforcement Association
Ed Tuffly, Local 2544 president, National Border Patrol Council
Brian Fieros Thomas Hardie, Local Union No. 394 Plasterers' and Cement Masons
Arizona Republican Party by a unanimous resolution
Rob Haney, Maricopa County Republican Party Chairman
Tom Husband, Maricopa County Republican Party executive director
Sandy Doty, member-at-large, Maricopa County Republican Party
Pinal Co. Sheriff Babeu
Mohave Co. Sheriff Sheahan
Yavapai Co. Sheriff Waugh
Cochise Co. Sheriff Dever
Gila Co. Sheriff Armer
Navajo Co. Sheriff Clark
Graham Co. Sheriff Allred
Greenlee Co. Sheriff Tucker
The Maricopa Deputy's Law Enforcement Association
Arizona Highway Patrol Association
Bryan Stoller, Arizona Fraternal Order of Police
Col. Albert Rodriguez , president of You Don't Speak for Me
Arizona African American Republican Club
Arizona Republican Assembly
Anna Gaines, president, American Citizens United
NAILEM
The Pachyderms
9-11 Families for a Secure America
United Sovereign America (USA)

SHERIFF"S OFFICE COLLARS 40 ILLEGALS IN 4 HOURS

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO), has reported that they arrested 40 illegal aliens during a four hour human smuggling saturation patrol in the North Valley Tuesday night. The arrest were made during four separate traffic stops near Anthem Way under the 287g agreement between the federal government and MCSO.

Those arrested last night admitted to paying between $1,000 to $5,000 for illegal entry into the United States from Mexico.

25 of those arrested by sheriff's deputies were taken into custody under Arizona human smuggling charges, which is a class four felony. The remaining 15 illegal aliens were arrested and processed by the sheriff's office and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The MCSO reported that Tuesday night's arrest bring the total booked under Arizona human smuggling charges by sheriff's deputies to 1,637 since the state law was enacted.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio commented on recent reports that claim the flow of illegal aliens has slowed down into the United States but every time his deputies have gone out they have had no problem making numerous arrests in short periods of time.

One week ago deputies arrested four illegal aliens from The People's Republic of China originating from Beijing.

Arpaio stated that a decision has not yet been made on whether or not the controversial 287g contract will be renewed as the deadline for signing is rapidly approaching.

Sheriff Joe Fights Back

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio seems to be getting a little tired of being under attack by the Arizona Republic and instead of surrendering to those that by ink by the barrel, he has decided to take the bull by the horns and wrote a Special to the Republic article fighting back.

What follows is Sheriff Joe's Special to the Republic.
The real witch hunt is vs. Sheriff's Office
by Joe Arpaio - Sept. 26, 2009 12:00 AM
Special for the Republic

The Arizona Republic's editorial on Wednesday suggests that the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office should be removed from the investigation of Don Stapley because of a political dispute between the Board of Supervisors member and myself ("Sheriff must be removed from Stapley case").

What nonsense.

As usual, the paper's Editorial Board fails to mention some very pertinent points that run contrary to their assertions.

First, the Maricopa County Anti-Corruption Enforcement Unit was started by County Attorney Andrew Thomas and me in 2007 with the aim of fighting political corruption and white-collar crime.

It is the duty of both offices to follow up on any and all leads pointing to the possibility of such crimes.

Turning their backs on information out of political favor to a fellow elected official would be tantamount to dereliction of duty.

Additionally, our offices are not the only law enforcement agencies to investigate elected officials.

Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, a Democrat and apparent darling of The Arizona Republic Editorial Board, over the years has also investigated several of Arizona's elected Republican officials for various crimes.

Goddard's investigations often were not earth-shaking. Charges were minor, many were reduced, and still other cases were found not guilty. Why doesn't The Arizona Republic shame Goddard for his poor record as it so willingly does County Attorney Thomas and me?

The newspaper also makes the claim in its editorial that I only go after my political enemies, such as County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, former county schools Superintendent Sandra Dowling, Stapley and Goddard.

The fact of the matter is this: None of these officials were my adversaries when the investigations against them launched. To say that each one was a friend of mine would go too far; it's true, because in politics, a person has no friends. But they were by no means my enemies.
The paper also makes the claim that my deputies went after Dowling on a Sunday morning, replete with armored SWAT team members and three helicopters. The search warrant was executed on a Wednesday evening, not a Sunday morning; there were no armored SWAT members present and no sheriff's helicopters were called to the scene. The fact is that the Dowling case was indicted by Goddard, with the final decision being made by prosecutors. It was not my doing.

The paper constantly criticizes me for orchestrating political witch hunts, and yet it fails to write about what a huge political witch hunt is now going on against me. The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice are investigating me and my office. Why? Because politically they disagree with how I enforce illegal-immigration and corruption laws in Maricopa County.

The Arizona Republic has joined forces in the witch hunt and has printed numerous misleading headlines, editorial commentaries and negative news articles relating to illegal-immigration and corruption cases.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander, except at The Arizona Republic, where writers and editors always make me out as the evil villain of Maricopa County. They have done this now for 17 years, and sadly, there is no end in sight.


Joe Arpaio is sheriff of Maricopa County

DON STAPLEY ARRESTED

DON STAPLEY ARRESTED


Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies arrested Maricopa County Supervisor Don Stapley about 9:30 AM on 93 new felony counts relating to campaign fraud; including the use of campaign funds to pay personal bills.

Stapley was booked into the downtown fourth Avenue Jail for new allegations unrelated to his previous indictment which is currently being appealed, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office reported in a news release.

Today's arrest stems from an eight month investigation into Stapley's business and campaign accounts. Sheriff Joe Arpaio said this new investigation began as a result of information uncovered by his deputies earlier this year.

"Our investigation began in January of this year and concluded just days ago, on September 11, 2009. After a brief supervisory review of the investigation, deputies were able to locate Stapley and arrested him," Arpaio said.

The 93 felony and 7 misdemeanor allegations are for fraudulent schemes involving his mortgage and loan businesses, campaign account fraud, tax return fraud and campaign fraud which allege Stepley used campaign funds to pay personal bills and pad personal accounts.

Stapley currently is in jail and scheduled for arraignment this afternoon.

A CALL TO ACTION by SEN. RUSSELL PEARCE

A call to action:

Enough is enough, Citizen's Initiative

By Sen. Russell Pearce, R-18, Mesa



I wanted to give you an update on all of the recent news concerning illegal immigration. Our efforts to enforce our laws, secure our border, and go after illegal employers has gotten much tougher to do as ICE, under the direction of Sec. Napolitano and the Obama administration, has decided to pull back and throw up additional obstacles to enforcement. We were also blocked in our own State Legislature when we attempted to pass legislation creating trespass laws for illegal aliens and prohibiting sanctuary city policies in Arizona.

Well enough is enough! Once again, it is time to allow the good citizens of this state to make it clear to Washington D.C., the local politicians and Police Chiefs that we are not going to take it any more. We will no longer allow our political leaders to handcuff our law enforcement officers and allow the Rule of Law to be ignored, and our citizens killed, maimed, or raped any more.

As we have in the past, when the politicians have lacked the courage to do the right thing, we are now looking at putting together a citizen’s initiative effort that will create a state trespass law and that will eliminate sanctuary city policies here in Arizona. I have meetings scheduled with the Sheriff Joe, Sheriff Babeu, County Attorney Thomas, Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, Border Patrol Association, Maricopa County Deputies Association, Pachyderms and the Maricopa County Republican Party and we will start to work on the initial paperwork and see if we can get enough support to put it on the ballot.

I believe we will be successful. Our legislative efforts had the support of the Arizona State Republican Party and the Maricopa County Republican Party (both of which passed Resolutions in support), the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association (P.L.E.A.), Border Patrol Officers, Maricopa County Deputies Association, Arizona FOP, Arizona Highway Patrol Association, Sheriff Arpaio, County Attorney Andrew Thomas, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, Pachyderm Coalition, Arizona Republican Assembly, Minutemen Civil Defense Corporation, American Citizens United, many other patriotic groups and, according to the polls, over 75% of Arizona’s citizens.

As always, I will keep you apprised of our progress and you can look forward to a call to action from me in the near future. In the meantime, continue to stand strong.

Let’s Roll!

Arpaio To Use Armed Volunteers To Bolster Budget Cuts

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio announced today plans to significantly increase the number of armed volunteer posse as a way to bolster public safety after a 17% budget cut.

Arpaio says the move is needed to combat the potential ill effects of the recent actions by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to cut his budget, resulting in a hiring freeze of patrol deputies and a mandate that all deputies take furlough days.

Nineteen new qualified armed posse volunteers will graduate today from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Training Academy in Phoenix.

Arpaio says he plans to step up his recruiting methods to attract more men and women to join his volunteer armed posse through more public outreach.

"The public has a desire to help local law enforcement when times are tough. I am banking on their generosity of time and energy to help my deputies keep our communities safe," Arpaio said.

Arpaio is seeking primarily those who wish to be trained and qualified to carry and use a weapon. Currently there are about 300 qualified armed posse members in a volunteer force of nearly 2,600, the largest volunteer posse in the nation.

The Sheriff says to be armed qualified volunteers must supply their own weapons and graduate from training class consisting of 160 hours law enforcement instruction, including 60 hours of shooting range practice.

"We are not simply gathering people off the streets, giving them guns and telling them to go out and arrest bad guys, " Arpaio said.

"Our armed posse volunteers receive the same amount of firearms training as our deputies," Arpaio says. "They are and will continue to be an instrumental force behind public safety in Maricopa County."

The Sheriff will be attending their graduation today to address the newly trained volunteers and to give them direction on their responsibilities as armed posse members.

OBAMA Plans to Make Illegal Immigrants Legal

According to the New York Times, President Barack Obama plans to begin addressing America's immigration system this year, including looking for a path for illegal immigrants to become legal.

Cecillia Munoz, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House, said Obama will frame the new effort as "policy reform that controls immigration and makes it an orderly system."

Over the summer Obama will convene working groups, including lawmakers from both parties and a range of immigration organizations, to begin discussing possible legislation.

During his campaign for the presidency last year, Obama pledged to Latino groups that comprehensive immigration legislation, including a plan to make legal status possible for an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants, would be a priority in his first year in office. Latino voters strongly turned out for Obama during the election.

In 2007, a groundswell of opposition to legal status for illegal immigrants, strongly supported by then President George W. Bush, defeated a bipartisan immigration bill.

Roy Beck, Executive Director of NumbersUSA, an organization that favors reduced immigration, said "It just doesn't seem rational that any political leader would say, let's give millions of foreign workers permanent access to U.S. jobs when we have millions of Americans looking for jobs." Obama would face an "explosion" if he proceeded this year, Beck said.

The president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, (FAIR), said it would be "politically disastrous," for Obama to begin an immigration initiative now.


ACR POSITION:


In the opinion of the American Conservative Republican, this further shows that Obama is a slick, lawyer and politician.

Obama out pandered McCain for the Latino vote and now must satisfy that part of his base without facing the backlash from the majority of the people, which Bush and Congress faced when they suggested making illegal immigrants legal in 2007.

Obviously, Obama's political team are reading the polls and know that the vast majority of Americans are opposed to amnesty.

Instead of following a best public policy path that would bring the illegal immigration problem under control, Obama, like Bush before him, is looking for a best political solution that will satisfy everyone. There is no political solution that will make everyone happy.

Granting an amnesty by another name will not solve the problem, it will only invite more illegal immigration, we know this from experience, therefore, amnesty, by any name, should be out of the question and off the table.

For those of us that put the good of our country before any political consideration, finding the solution to the illegal immigration problem is not that complicated.

Fix what caused the problem and you solve the problem.

Two things allowed illegal immigration to spin out of control, an unsecured border and the availability of jobs in American for those in our country illegally.

Politicians from both parties heard the people load and clear, "Secure the Border," and now there is a fence part way across the border and more resources committed to making our international border secure.

Building a fence along the border will only impede illegal entry into the United States however, we will never have a 100% secure border. As long as jobs are available to illegal aliens in the U.S., they will keep coming here illegally. Build a 15 foot fence and they will find a 16 foot ladder.

The key to solving the illegal immigration problem is to end the availability of jobs for undocumented, illegal aliens in the United States. No new law is necessary, it is already illegal to knowingly hire undocumented workers. The law against hiring illegal immigrants was not being enforced, the employers knew it and so did the people south of the border, therefore, greedy employers toke advantage of the low cost labor illegal immigrants provided to increase their profits which in turn caused a massive flood of humanity to cross our southern border illegally because the border was unsecured and jobs available for them in America, regardless of their legal status.

Mr. President, to bring the problem of illegal immigration under control, complete the fence and make our border as secure as possible, use the military if necessary, people have no right to violate our sovereignty as a nation, regardless of their motive.

Make E-verify permanent and mandatory. The only reason an employer would be opposed to E-Verify is because they know they hire undocumented workers. Honest employers have nothing to fear from E-Verify.

Enforce employer sanctions against hiring undocumented workers. The law is nothing but some ink on a paper if it is not enforced. It is the duty of the president to see that all the laws are faithfully executed, not just some.

Enforcing employer sanctions does not mean stop going after illegal workers. Just going after the illegal employer makes about as much sense just going after the illegal worker. They are both breaking our laws, enforce our laws.

It's that simple, secure the border and enforce all our immigration laws.

Bob Haran,

American Conservative Republican

Phil Gordon - "SHUT UP"

STACKING THE DECK AGAINST ARPAIO
By Bob Haran

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, (MCSO), has learned that the office of Congressman John Conyers, Democrat from Michigan, contacted the president of the local NAACP in an attempt to get the civil rights group to bolster the congressman's portrayal of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his deputies as "racial profilers" during Congressional hearings, according to a press release from the MCSO.


The attempt to portray Arpaio and the MCSO as racial profilers was unsuccessful because the NAACP head had no complaints about the Sheriff or other local law enforcement involving racial profiling, therefore, representatives from the NAACP were not invited to testify at the hearings and neither was Arpaio. In fact, to stack the deck against Arpaio, only critics of Arpaio were invited to testify.


Conyers is the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and recently spearheaded a federal investigation by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Attorney General Eric Holding claiming MCSO deputies are routinely violating the civil rights of Hispanics in Maricopa County.


Yesterday, about forty MCSO deputies gathered in front of Phoenix City Hall to denounce accusations of racial profiling and recent comments from Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon making them seem like a racist sheriff's office of the old south of the 1950's era. They had a message for Gordon and others ignorant of police work, "Shut Up."


Arpaio said, "Conyers' phone call to the NAACP office right before these hearings convened was a blatant attempt to stack the deck against me and this office. It proves how hollow and corrupt this entire process is."



American Conservative Republican comments:


If there is any organization in this country that would be up in arms over racism and racial profiling of anyone, it would be the well respected NAACP.


The fact is that the vast majority of those demanding immigration control and enforcement of our immigration laws are not racist. It's true that some white supremacists have attempted to hitch hike on the illegal immigration issue to advance their own racist agenda, they are a tiny minority however, and they don't speak for the majority of us demanding immigration control and enforcement.


Those opposed to immigration control want to believe that we are all a bunch of ignorant, redneck, racist. But what about those of us who are of Hispanic ancestry, do they hate themselves? Or are they just good American citizens how put their country first ?


When the original Minuteman Project toke place in April 2005 in Cochise County, then Arizona Governor Napolitano and the mainstream media, called us vigilantes and Mexican hunters. The federal government assigned extra Border Patrol Agents, Napolitano sent extra DPS officers, the Mexican government secured their side of the border, and media from all over the world came down hoping to see a bunch of ignorant white guys shooting up the border and every Mexican they could find. They were disappointed to discover that the Minuteman came from all over the country and were for the most part military veterans and former law enforcement and not a bunch of Mexican hating racist.


Those opposed to any enforcement of illegal immigration, wither they be cheap politicians pandering for the growing Hispanic vote (Phil Gordon) or greedy employers profiting from cheap illegal labor (Wake Up Arizona Coalition), they weren't going to let the truth, get in the way, especially when they had no good argument against control and enforcement. With no good case to make against enforcement of our immigration laws, these selfish politicians and business people, resorted to labeling all those supporting enforcement as racist, therefore, the American Conservative Republican joins with the brave sheriff's deputies and says to all who dare to call us racist without any foundation, "SHUT UP."



You can help to make sure that Phil Gordon gets the message by emailing him at phil.gordon@phoenix.gov
with just two little words, "SHUT UP."


For God and Country,

Bob Haran,

American Conservative Republican

THE PEOPLE Are With ARPAIO - Support Immigration Enforcement

Under constant attack by the mainstream media and under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department because of his aggressive enforcement of illegal immigration laws and the people of Arizona still love him.

A new Ramussen telephone survey of Arizona voters reports that 68% of Arizona voters have a favorable view of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and 46% view him very favorably.

The Justice Department is investigating Sheriff Joe at the urging of Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and U.S. Congressman John Conyers of Michigan. They are alleging that the Sheriff's office is racially profiling Hispanics during Arpaio's illegal immigration enforcement efforts in the county.

Arizona voters by huge numbers seem to solidly support immigration enforcement efforts by local police however, with 74% saying that police should automatically check to see if a person is in the country illegally during traffic stops, a common method used by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, (MCSO).

63% of Arizona voters say that law enforcement officers should sometimes conduct surprise raids to identify and deport illegal immigrants at places where they are known to gather to find work, 31% said they oppose such raids.

A contradicting number of Arizona voters however are concerned that efforts to identify and deport illegal immigrants may also violate the civil rights of some American citizens, with 56% saying they are somewhat concerned and 32% responding that they are very worried.

Other findings of the survey indicate that 60% of Arizona voters are more concerned about drug violence from Mexico spilling over into the state then they are about illegal immigration, 29% however say illegal immigration is still their biggest worry.

Three fourths of Arizona voters, or 76%, think that the U.S. military should be deployed to protect American citizens if drug violence continues to escalate along the U.S./Mexican border.

Republican voters in Arizona have an even greater favorable opinion of Arpaio then the average voter with 87% saying they have a somewhat favorable view of him and 76% of GOP voters saying they support surprise raids of illegal immigrant gathering locations.

TRENT FRANKS DEFENDS JOE ARPAIO

While Congressman John Shadegg boasted this week about hiring Lisa James, the wife of employer sanctions opponent and member of the "Wake Up Arizona Coalition," Gordon James. Congressman Trent Franks was defending Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.



Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas sent us this from KTAR.com.


Rep. Franks defends Arpaio, sheriff blames mayor



March 16th, 2009 @ 5:46am
by Jeremy Foster and Mike Sauceda/KTAR



There are two federal inquiries into Sheriff Joe Arpaio's illegal immigration policies and one Arizona congressman said he knows why.


"They feel like that if they can take him out and do him damage or intimidate him, they end up intimidating the whole specter of law enforcement that deals with illegal immigration," says Republican Rep. Trent Franks.


Franks said it's vital that Arpaio continue his tough stance, especially now that Phoenix is the kidnapping capital of the U.S.


He said the sheriff's opponents are backwards in their thinking.


"I'm just sort of astonished that we keep seeing this trend on the part of the Judiciary Committee especially under the Democratic control here, where they are seemingly more committed to going after the good guys than they are the bad guys."


Franks said there's nothing unlawful or inhumane about Arpaio's raids.



The Justice Department is also going to investigate Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office for possible racial profiling.



Arpaio told KTAR's Jay Lawrence he's not worried.



"They say they're coming down. You know, my doors are open. We do not racial profile."



Arpaio accused Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon of having a hand in the letter that informed him of the investigation "which by the way, Gordon was there at the same time talking to these people. He probably prepared the letter, but that's another issue. It will come out."



"We're going to survive this. It's just another blip in the 17 year career of the sheriff."

News Alert - KFYI Uncovers Phoenix Police Scandel

Phoenix radio station KFYI has sent out the following Breaking News alert today at 8:31 PM.

Emerging Phoenix Police Scandal?

A Phoenix detective's wife said it felt like a home invasion when the police executed a search warrant at their residence last week.

On Monday's "JD Hayworth Show," Trisha Barnes, wife of Detective Dave Barnes, spoke out about the Phoenix Police Department executing a search warrant at the Barnes' residence last Thursday morning.

Click Here for the audio with Trisha Barnes

Phoenix Police Department e-mails, obtained through a public records request, detail concerns about Detective Barnes' role as a whistle blower concerning with the Phoenix Police Crime Lab. "Frankly Dave Barnes is a repeat offender...Mark my words, if Dave is dealt with, others will think twice about lab bashing.

"View PDF Document of the e-mails

A private citizen, "Jeff," who operates the blog http://www.badphoenixcops.com/, also had Phoenix Police execute a search warrant on his residence, and detailed the circumstances as well as his reaction during an in-studio interview.

Click Here for audio with "Jeff"

"Jeff" believes his criticism of Phoenix Director of Public Safety Jack Harris on the blog prompted the search of his premises. Former Congressman Hayworth said that the U.S. Department of Justice should investigate the Phoenix Police Administration instead of Maracopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. "The Justice Deparment ought to be taking a look at Jack Harris and leaving Joe Arpaio....alone."