Arpaio’s sweeps little more than a circus

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has now waded into the deep water of U.S. immigration enforcement. Whether it is his desire for more publicity, greater popularity, better book sales or some other self-perpetuating reason, the utilization of his department’s resources to conduct street “sweeps” to arrest illegal immigrants has nothing whatsoever to do with good law enforcement.

While citizens who are concerned about the growing number of illegal immigrants may see this as some sort of heroic initiative, the vast majority of law enforcement professionals know these “crime suppression” activities are nothing more than publicity stunts.

During the latest “sweep” in Mesa on June 27, a meaningless number of illegal immigrants were arrested. However, Arpaio was able to orchestrate one of the largest immigration-related media events ever seen in this community. For purposes of maintaining his celebrity status, the sheriff did a superb job. In reality, the operation (again) accomplished nothing.

Where are the illegal immigrants who were arrested? Most will eventually be turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They will soon be removed from the U.S. and within days (in some cases even hours) undoubtedly will cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally and return to their jobs in Maricopa County — probably before the sheriff has his next news conference.

Arpaio should know he is not the first one to conduct street sweeps for illegal immigrants. During the 1970s and early 1980s, similar operations were conducted in many major cities throughout the U.S. by special agents of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service. In those days, it was known as “area control.” The initiatives were useless then and they are useless now — no matter what they are called.

Supporters of the sheriff claim he is doing “something,” as opposed to the “nothing” everyone else is doing. While I agree that most of the local police chiefs and government officials have failed miserably when dealing with problems associated with illegal immigration, reactionary activities such as street sweeps have also proven to be unsuccessful. Therefore, Arpaio’s “something” is also really “nothing.”

There are many other immigration enforcement-related activities the sheriff should be promoting. It has long been known that most Americans want employers of illegal immigrants punished. On Jan. 1, the nation’s first state employer sanctions law went into effect (HB2779). Employers in Arizona are now required to use Homeland Security’s E-Verify System to check out the employment eligibility status of all new employees. Yet, thousands of illegal immigrants continue to gain employment in Maricopa County.

Has Arpaio pulled a single business license using the new law? Absolutely not! So, while Arpaio holds himself up as some sort of champion of the people against illegal immigration, his actions speak louder than his words.

When Arpaio holds a news conference to say he successfully used the new employer sanctions law to suspend the business licenses of several fast-food chains, multiple car washes, dozens of landscaping companies and a multitude of home builders, then the residents of Maricopa County will know they have a sheriff who cares about stopping illegal immigration.

Until that time comes, Arpaio’s street sweeps will continue to be nothing more than media events to get him in front of the cameras — and a complete waste of valuable law enforcement time.

Neville Cramer served more than 26 years with the Immigration and Naturalization Service. He now heads his own consulting firm in Scottsdale, and has authored two books about America’s failed immigration policies. He is serving as an unpaid adviser on immigration enforcement issues for Dan Saban’s campaign for Maricopa County sheriff.