Saban's Plan on Illegals

News & Analysis

Saban Reveals Action Plan to Deal Effectively with Illegal Aliens in County Jails

Voicing concern that there is no policy to manage illegal immigrants who commit crimes, Maricopa County Republican sheriff candidate Dan Saban has presented his action plan to organize an effective law enforcement response to the issue.

Saban's announcement follows in-depth discussions with members of the U.S. Attorney's Office, the State Attorney General's office, and County Attorney Rick Romley's office. Saban has gone public with a five-point plan to deal effectively with the growing problem of illegal alien criminals. His plan will:

Require all deputies to place an immigrations hold on all illegals taken into custody on local MCSO charges (DUI, domestic violence, etc.), and screen through the Arizona Department of Homeland Security for potential terrorists.
Partner with INS to provide a full-time agent at the booking counter in the Madison Jail to investigate all questionable citizenship status brought in by any arresting agency, and review the potential deportation of criminal offenders.
Partner with the county attorney's office and INS to create a task force to target the organized crime aspect of smuggling.
Encourage INS to spearhead roundups with support from MCSO resources (booking vans, back-ups, etc.).
Provide advanced immigration law and general diversity training for deputies.

Saban said that Arpaio did not participate in or send a delegate to the June Homeland Security regional strategy meeting with the Arizona Department of Homeland Security.

"This critical meeting was to divide Arizona into appropriate regions for federal funding and resource distribution," Saban said. "The jails can be used to screen for potential terrorists."

Arpaio's plan to have illegals register for the Selective Service is a farce, Saban says. Illegals serving in jail or prison are prohibited from registering for the draft by federal law.

"Having illegal aliens engaged in criminal activity register for the draft is giving them the opportunity to legitimize their being here," Saban said."A registration card potentially gives them an option for federal benefits."

Approximately 800 illegal aliens are serving time or being held in the Maricopa County jail system without any specific illegal immigrations holds on them.