Three Arizona sheriffs warned that pandemic-era Title 42 restrictions on immigration will expire Thursday, using the opportunity to call the country’s immigration system a failure.
Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone, Yavapai County Sheriff David Rose, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, and Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Brett Axland said the change in federal policy will result in a change to the border. He said it would increase immigrant encounters and impact communities across Arizona.
Title 42, enforced by the Trump administration and continued by the Biden White House, has rapidly deported immigrants nearly 2.8 million times over three years. Border authorities will return to fully enforcing Title VIII of the Immigration and Nationality Act, a policy that existed before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Penzone said that Title 42’s lapse was not the driving force behind the issue, saying that “one more straw on the camel’s back”.
“When I say this, I am not referring to any government or individual or anyone in particular, but on the whole it is my opinion that our government has let the people down.” It has frustrated people for decades, because while our border instability is a federal responsibility, it has become a local problem.
“The idea of an inability to secure borders and improve and address the failures of the immigration system is nonsense,” Penzone said. “We can continue to be a country that welcomes people from all walks of life…and we can be disciplined.”
Penzone acknowledged that his office was barred from helping enforce immigration laws by a federal court order, but he and his associates said Wednesday that the influx of immigrants into Arizona could prevent them from They called for greater partnerships with federal agencies, border agents and law enforcement agencies statewide.
Each said his agency should be reimbursed by the state and federal government for the resources spent addressing what they called federal liability.
Yavapai County Sheriff David Rose is president of the Arizona Sheriffs Association. He urged federal agencies to coordinate with local law enforcement and await a court hearing on their status before processing the immigrants and releasing them in Arizona.
“These drop-offs in various communities across the state should be notified to local governments, and public safety and law enforcement agencies in those communities,” Rhodes said. and we need to know it so we can deal with it.”
Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, who is running for U.S. Senate in 2024, said the issue is broader.
“This is not just a border issue or a border state issue,” Lam said. “This is an American problem.”
Lamb said he believes the federal government will release immigrants to Cochise County, Yuma County, Tucson and Casa Grande.
“We expect many of these groups to be released, but this will strain our resources,” Lam said. “As temperatures start to rise, we will see more search and rescue calls in the desert, so we expect air forces to expend more resources conducting search and rescue operations.”
Earlier this week, Bisbee said it was looking at a release from Douglas’ port of entry. People were moved to Tucson shelters.
On Monday, Gov. Katie Hobbs announced the creation of a Joint Intelligence Command Center to prepare for the expected influx of immigrants at the southern border.
in progress:As the end of Title 42 draws near, immigrants are already being released in Southern Arizona and bussed to Tucson
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