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Sheriff: Human Smuggling Hotline Nets 100 Calls Since Start-Up

POSTED: 11:54 am MST July 21, 2007
UPDATED: 3:32 pm MST July 21, 2007

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said on Saturday a new tool against human smuggling of undocumented immigrants is already working.

A dedicated hotline for citizens to call in with information and evidence about undocumented immigrants violating federal and state laws in Maricopa County has netted 100 calls since it started on Friday.

All calls are monitored by sheriff's intelligence gathering personnel for information and follow-up. The hotline number is 602-876-4154.

Some county officials have voiced concerns.

"I think a lot of innocent people will get caught up in this, just because their skin's brown," said county Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox.

Arpaio was unsure off how his office will be able to use the tips provided. "It's an intelligence gathering tool," Arpaio said.

The hotline is the latest tool implemented in Arpaio's two-year-long fight against illegal immigration and crimes associated with it.

Another initiative launched on Friday centers on using 160 deputies cross-trained in immigration law to scour Phoenix-area highways and roads.

The sheriff said deputies will be looking for vehicles commonly used to move large numbers of undocumented immigrants and that those vehicles will be stopped if they're seen speeding or committing other violations.

Arpaio said the enforcement effort won't be a roundup based on racial profiling. "We're not going to go out on a street corner and round up people because they look like theyre from a foreign country," he said.

In another development, the sheriff on Monday will deputize 64 federal immigration agents to they can act as both federal and local law enforcement agents.

"We are quickly becoming a full-fledged anti-illegal immigration agency," Arpaio said. "In the jails and on the streets, we have our employees trained and anxious to make a large dent in the illegal immigration problem."

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