Minuteman National Blog

Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona, is fighting the good fight. AGAIN.

Jail inmates to clean up desert mess
Sheriff: It helps planet, fights illegal immigration

Judi Villa
The Arizona Republic

Water bottles. Sleeping bags. Empty food containers.

It''s an unsightly mess left behind at temporary campsites set up by illegal immigrants trekking through Maricopa County''s desert areas.

And starting today, about 200 jail inmates will be cleaning it up.

Dubbed "Operation I.C.U.," because the desert requires "intensive care," Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the desert trash pickup is a new phase in his fight against illegal immigration and an effort to improve the environment at the same time. The "Illegal Alien Campsite Clean Up" will occur monthly.

"These people are coming here illegally. They''re breaking the law, and they''re destroying our desert," Arpaio said. "It''s disgusting."

Deputies have been coming across campsites and snapping photos of the filth since Arpaio''s anti-human-smuggling unit began looking for and arresting illegal immigrants in March. So far, 351 illegal immigrants have been jailed, and Arpaio said their mess needs to be cleaned up.

Deputy Chief Brian Sands estimates there are about 15 large illegal campsites in the western part of the county. They are used as "drop zones" and temporary staging areas for illegal immigrants. The immigrants will stay there anywhere from a couple of hours to several days, until they can be picked up and transported to their destinations. They usually leave in a hurry, dumping blankets and other trash. In some areas, trash piles are knee deep.

"There''s all these little campsites over the years that have turned into this big mess," Sands said.

Illegal dumping not only ruins views but threatens the health of people who live or play there; over time, it pollutes the ground and groundwater.

Offenders who dump trash rarely are caught, and cleanups are costly.

Arpaio said his cleanup will cost taxpayers almost nothing. Trash bags and dump trucks have been donated, and inmate labor is free. Of the 200 convicted inmates who will take part today, 10 are foreign nationals from Mexico, Arpaio said. The inmates will get an extra bologna sandwich for their work.

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To read the entire article:

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1201dumping1201.html

To discuss this topic on our Minuteman Forum, click on the title link!

Sensenbrenner has a chance to do the right thing here. Here''s hoping he does, before the pro-open border Democrats take over in the House.

Here is Sensenbrenner''s contact information:

Sensenbrenner, James WI05 (R)
262-784-1111 120 Bishops Way,
Room 154 Brookfield, WI 53005

202-225-5101 2332
RHOB Washington, DC 20515

sensenbrenner@mail.house.gov

Write or call (or both) to demand a congressional hearing!

From today''s El Paso Times:

Legislators seek hearing for Border Patrol agents
By Louie Gilot / El Paso Times

Members of Congress who support El Paso Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean on Friday delivered a letter asking for a congressional hearing into the agents'' case to U.S. Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said officials with U.S. Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas.

The letter states that the legislators believe that such a hearing would help "overturn these convictions" and would shed light on "several discrepancies in the cases."

Compean and Ramos were convicted of violating the civil rights of a drug smuggler they shot in the buttocks as he was fleeing across the river to Mexico in February 2005 near Fabens. They were found guilty of tampering with evidence for not reporting the shooting to their superiors and because Compean picked up shell casings. They were sentenced to more than 10 years in prison and have filed appeals.

Last summer, Sensenbrenner publicly agreed to a congressional hearing, but as of Friday, about two weeks before the legislative session ends, he had not scheduled it.

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To read the entire article:

http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_4759727

To discuss this topic on our Minuteman forum, click on the title link!