Opponents say an Arizona bill criminalizing illegal immigration would prove costly, lead to racial profiling and make getting testimony in criminal trials more difficult.
Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, introduced the bill, which passed the Senate in February and is now being debated by the House.
According to the legislature, there are an estimated 460,000 illegal immigrants living in Arizona.
The bill would make the first offense of illegal immigration punishable by up to six months in jail, and the second offense punishable by one and a half to three years in prison. The bill will require illegal immigrants to pay a $500 fine as well as any jail fees.
Opponents have criticized the bill because many immigrants don't have money to pay the fees in the first place.
Tombstone Marshal Larry Talvy opposes the bill for different reasons. Talvy is worried that the bill is only being pushed to lessen the workload of federal law enforcement and add to the workload of local and state law enforcement.
The Tucson Border Patrol has forged a transnational alliance with Mexican Secretary of Public Safety (SSP) troops in hopes of further securing the border, but local law enforcement teams fear there may be difficulties.
Tucson Border Patrol agents hope an alliance with the SSP will further prevent the influx of drugs, humans and weapons into the country by way of the Arizona-Mexico border. Still, many law enforcement agencies, such as the Tombstone Police Department, fear that an alliance with SSP will be tumultuous due to Mexico's allegedly corrupt government.
A multi-billion dollar project aimed to electronically secure the U.S.-Mexico border has suffered setbacks and glitches in its system, pushing the projected completion date back three years and sparking concern among law enforcement teams in Cochise County.
Chinese immigrants have made their mark on the history of the Southwest. With the construction of the railroad in the 1800s, millions of Chinese flocked to the United States, making the cross to ports like San Diego and San Francisco.
The days of the railroad are gone, but the immigrants are still there and looking for a way into the United States. Oddly enough, some are crossing alongside Mexican immigrants via Mexico.
While this is nothing new, there has been an increase in the apprehension of Chinese nationals immigrating illegally.
The postcard Arizona ranch is one of horses, corals and cowboys – not one of snipped-wire fences, trodden-down grass and trails of trash. With the U.S. border a stones throw away from many Arizona ranches, ranchers now have more chores to keep their ranches open and operational.
Roughly two million immigrants are estimated to enter the United States through Arizona annually. With tighter border security in California and Texas, Arizona has become the principle gateway into the U.S., according to a 2007 study conducted by the University of Arizona’s Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics.
“There’s a lot of garbage out there… backpacks, shaving cream, toothpaste and coats. It’s absolutely amazing the amount of garbage out there and ranches do get there fences cut and there gates left open a lot,” said Kim McReynolds, extension agent in natural resources for the UA Arizona Cooperative Extension.
The marshal’s office is going into its fifth year as part of Operation Stonegarden with a $40,000 boost.The boost, part of $1.5 million given to Cochise County, is part of the $7.2 million given to Arizona to help state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies fight border crime as part of the operation.
The boost for Tombstone accounts for 62 percent of next year’s funds, which go into aefect Oct. 1 for Stonegarden.
As the hot summer months come to an end, Mexican drug lords have dollar signs in their eyes. Marijuana growing season is over and thousands of pounds of pot will be cultivated and shipped to the U.S. for illegal sale. In August alone, Border Patrol agents seized 1,200 pounds of marijuana in Cochise County.
Cities along the U.S.-Mexico border like Tombstone are no strangers to drug trafficking. However, county officials are shocked at the high level of marijuana illegally coming across the border this year. Tombstone Marshal Larry Talvy said a reported 47,000 pounds have been seized in and around the town since November of 2008. Talvy said confiscating the drug has been a tireless task. With cultivation season coming up in October, “Mexico still has an overabundance of marijuana that needs to be shipped out.”
Ten kids, who looked no older than 18, lined up outside of the Nogales Border Patrol Station, standing face forward, arms at their sides, at attention.
One of the girls stepped away from the group. She walked around, asking each person in line questions.
“When was the last time you polished your boots?”
“Where are your handcuffs?”
Each teenager answered, never forgetting to add a ma’am at the beginning and end of the sentence.
The girl then asked, “What is integrity?”
“Knowing right from wrong and doing the right thing!” they all replied in unison.
The Migrant Resource Center recently expanded its humanitarian aid efforts by opening an over-night shelter in Naco, Mexico.
The shelter, 780 Juarez St., houses around 40 immigrants.
It was opened in December in an effort to give recently deported Mexican Nationals a place to rest before journeying back to their homes.
“We just decided it was necessary,” said Cecile Lumer, the volunteer director at the Migrant Resource Center. “When people are returned from the Border Patrol, they are in bad shape. We think it is the humanitarian thing to do.”
Of the various concerns that stem from the thousands of people who illegally enter the county each month, one issue is often overlooked – litter.
“People don’t realize what illegal immigrants are doing to the countryside out here,” said John Smerekanich, a solid waste inspector for Cochise County. “There are some real good size dump sites. Tons of trash can accumulate.”
The agency only makes collections in the wilderness a few times per year, but up to four tons of garbage have been removed from single sites in the county, Smerekanich said.
Other agencies see evidence of illegal border crossing in the form of litter almost daily.
Alex Howe, a conservation associate at the Sierra Vista branch of the Bureau of Land Management, said the majority of his job consists of picking up trash left by illegal immigrants.
“I easily fill up the truck bed until it’s overflowing each day I go out,” said Howe, who collects trash along the San Pedro River, a known travel corridor for illegal border crossers.
