As tensions surrounding immigration enforcement continue to surface across Maricopa, about 100 residents gathered this week for a community safety training focused on preparation, documentation and de-escalation.

The event, organized by Rural Arizona Engagement at Province town hall, centered on what to do — and what not to do — if Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity is reported in the area.

Clipboards near the entrance invited attendees to sign up as observers, “cop watchers” or film crew members. Organizers outlined the responsibilities tied to each role, stressing that no role was more important than another.

Participants walked through hypothetical threat scenarios, discussed how to verify information before raising alarms and reviewed techniques for de-escalating tense encounters, which included managing their own reactions.

Andrea Varela, organizing director for RAZE in Coolidge, said the training comes amid what organizers view as a noticeable uptick in immigration-related concerns locally since last August. She pointed in part to 287(g) agreements, which allow local law enforcement agencies to partner with federal immigration authorities.

“In small communities like this, trust is huge,” Varela said of Maricopa.

When residents feel uncertain whether they can call local law enforcement, she added, “that creates a lot of fear.”

Attendees also received guidance on how to legally film officers and were given a rural hotline, 520-607-0507, that organizers say will eventually send alerts to community members about possible enforcement activity.

The discussion referenced reports earlier this month of immigration patrols along State Route 347. At the time, Pinal County Sheriff Ross Teeple dismissed those claims as “crying wolf,” saying deputies were conducting routine traffic enforcement.

Organizers, however, said community members reported detentions and shared photos of vehicles left along the roadway.

“It was a lot of cars,” Varela said. “We got pictures of a lot of vehicles that were left on the side of the road because they took the people that were driving. Yes, they got stopped for speeding, but [locals] called us right away saying they took them.”

A spokesperson for the Maricopa Police Department said officers made at least one arrest during the traffic stops referenced but maintained that no federal immigration authorities were involved and that the enforcement activity remained strictly local.

 

 

For attendee Linda Van Orsdol of Province for Democracy, the training offered both clarity and purpose.

“You can’t sit idle,” she said. “Everybody has a role.”

Varela said that mindset of creating a community collective is exactly what organizers hope to cultivate.

“People come in not knowing how they fit,” she said. “By the end of the night, they realize they don’t have to do everything. They just have to do something.”

Those interested in future trainings or volunteer roles can contact Rural Arizona Engagement at 520-510-941 or visit their website for more information.