Arizona Sheriff Launches Illegal Immigration Dragnet

The political furor surrounding illegal immigration in the U.S. certainly continues following the failure of so-called Bush-Kennedy bill, largely decried as simple "amnesty" for illegals. There is, however, one Arizona sheriff who has no plans for waiting for the U.S. Congress to act. Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County has mobilized over 200 deputies and posse to begin an intense search along corridors known for human smuggling. The open-ended crackdown will include surveillance and night vision technology and will feature a hotline for citizens to call and report information about illegal immigrants. Sheriff Arpaio described his operation as "quickly becoming a full-fledged anti-illegal immigration agency." This type of local movement, of course, raises questions about the feasibility and advisability of implementing a larger-scale effort of a similar nature, perhaps hearkening back to Operation Wetback of the Eisenhower era with its attendant consequences and obvious controversy.

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