The role of the sheriff's office in immigration affairs came under increasingly sharp debate Tuesday.

Gordon slams Arpaio illegal immigration patrols

Read the text of his Mayor Phil Gordon's speech

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A group of elected officials and community leaders staged a press conference asking for an “open, transparent and honest” assessment of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Apraio’s efforts to pursue violent criminals. Their plea followed two straight weekends of crack-downs on illegal immigrants in east Phoenix.

The community leaders echoed the themes of Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, who last week called the Sheriff’s Office operations “made-for-TV stunts” intended to lock up “brown people with broken tail-lights.”

Arpaio told the Tribune he plans to continue the saturation patrols, starting later this week in the southeast Valley.

“I’m not wrapping them up,” he said “I’m going to keep doing it.”

Arpaio declined to discuss the specific times or location of the next crack-down because the details were still being developed.

During the past two weeks, the operations have run on consecutive days, starting in the afternoons and stretching into the evenings. Deputies have arrested a combined 110 people, including 64 who were suspected of being in the country unlawfully. All were detained following traffic stops for running red lights, illegal turns and similar offenses.

Mark Manoil, chairman of the Maricopa County Democratic Party said Arpaio’s priorities are out of whack.

“He’s spending too much time grandstanding and doing publicity stunts instead of really getting to the basics of the job – and that endangers everybody’s public safety and is costing us a lot of money as taxpayers,” Manoil said after the press conference Tuesday.

The speakers questioned why deputies haven’t been more vigorous in arresting people on 42,000 outstanding felony warrants.

Arpaio countered that the community leaders could have asked Phoenix police officials the same question. Arpaio also said the illegal immigrant operations invariably net people wanted on warrants.

The speakers included other elected officials, religious and business leaders, and community advocates.

A day earlier, Arpaio took the offensive in issuing a press release stating that Gordon’s remarks at a city luncheon honoring labor leader Cesar Chavez were intended to incite civil disobedience.

Gordon told 1,500 people that Arpaio deliberately set the stage for shouting matches and confrontations surrounding his crack-downs. In fact, the operations have drawn large crowds of demonstrators on both sides of the issue. Gordon told the crowd, “That’s not acceptable behavior for anyone, let alone someone whose job it is to help make our community safer.”

The mayor’s remarks only served to endanger deputies and other law enforcement officials, including Phoenix police officers, Arpaio said.

“The bottom line is this sheriff will not be intimidated by Mayor Gordon or his police chief from enforcing all aspects of the state and federal immigration laws within the city of Phoenix,” Apraio said in the statement.

Gordon declined to respond Arpaio’s criticisms Tuesday, said the mayor’s spokesman Scott Phelps.

Also on Monday, in a letter to Phoenix city manager Frank Fairbanks, the sheriff said he was concerned that Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris had contacted federal officials seeking to have the Sheriff’s Office striped of its authority to arrest illegal immigrants on federal charges.

On Tuesday, Phoenix Police Commander Chris Crockett declined to comment on Harris’ discussions with Alonzo Pena, the former special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Phoenix. Harris declined comment, as well, Crockett said.

Also in the letter, Arpaio disputed claims by Gordon that Sheriff’s Office officials didn’t notify Phoenix police officials about saturation patrols before they occurred. “Mayor Gordon’s remarks were not only patently false; they instilled fear and acrimony in the community he serves,” he stated in the letter.