Obama Shows No Intent To Prosecute Illegals

10-10-2009 • World Affairs Brief via Rense.com

Arizona's most famous Sheriff, Joe Arpaio, is embarrassing everyone in the state and federal government who are claiming they don't have the resources to round up and deport illegal aliens. Ever since Congress allowed for local law enforcement to voluntarily enforce immigration laws, Arpaio has been rounding up over 30,000 illegals every year. Now the Obama administration is instructing Janet Napolitano chief of Homeland Security (and former governor of Arizona) to reinterpret Congress' intent and limit local law enforcement to apprehending only those illegals guilty of crimes-but not enforce immigration status per se.

As the Wall Street Journal reported, "The Obama administration is curbing the powers of an Arizona sheriff who has led one of the most contentious fights against illegal immigrants. Under an agreement involving local enforcement of federal immigration law, Sheriff Joe Arpaio's deputies will no longer have the authority to arrest suspected illegal immigrants in the streets in the course of their duty. A senior official with Immigration & Customs Enforcement [ICE] flew to Phoenix late last month with the revised agreement, which the sheriff signed late last week.

Homeland Security announced in July that all localities participating in the enforcement program -- more than 60 from Alabama to California -- would have to sign revised enforcement deals by Oct. 15. Unlike others participating in the program, Mr. Arpaio will be restricted to determining the immigration status of inmates booked into Maricopa County jails."