(First InMaricopa) A rural Arizona legal observer group is reporting increased law enforcement and immigration activity along State Route 347 north of Maricopa on Monday.
Rural Arizona Engagement, also known as RAZE, said trained volunteers observed what they identified as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicles appearing at traffic stops conducted by Pinal County Sheriff’s deputies along the SR 347 corridor. The group said the observations occurred throughout the day and were documented by multiple volunteers.
The report followed social media posts showing clusters of law enforcement vehicles in the area. RAZE said its volunteers verified those posts through direct observation.
The alert was amplified Monday afternoon by Protect Our Pueblos, a community-led effort associated with Coolidge-based RAZE that focuses on defending and educating immigrants about their rights in Arizona. Protect Our Pueblos shared an Instagram alert warning residents about the reported activity near Maricopa.
Officials with the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office have not publicly confirmed whether the activity was part of a coordinated operation involving federal immigration authorities. InMaricopa contacted the sheriff’s office for comment but did not receive a response before publication.
The reported activity comes as Sheriff Ross Teeple and Pinal County sheriff’s deputies were being honored in Phoenix for rescuing a child from an alleged over-the-border human trafficking situation earlier this year. In that case, a woman was arrested after she admitted to investigators that she was paid to smuggle the child into the U.S. from Mexico.
Similar reports elsewhere in the Valley have prompted public statements from local police departments. Several metro Phoenix cities have addressed community concerns about immigration enforcement, including Gilbert Police Department, which said Thursday it acknowledged “increased ICE operations in and around Gilbert.” Gilbert police emphasized that the department does not enforce federal immigration law and does not have a 287(g) agreement in place authorizing officers to do so.
InMaricopa has also contacted the Maricopa Police Department for a statement regarding any involvement or coordination related to the reported activity. MPD does not have a 287(g) agreement in place, a point Gilbert police also noted in its statement.
But Pinal County’s situation differs from many Valley jurisdictions. The county is currently involved in a legal dispute tied to a 287(g) agreement implemented by its own elected county prosecutor, which granted local law enforcement authority to enforce federal immigration law. A court ruling found the agreement should be considered void, but ICE has said it would continue enforcing the agreement despite that ruling.
As of this evening, it remains unclear whether the activity reported along SR 347 was connected to that agreement or involved formal coordination between county deputies and federal immigration authorities.
InMaricopa will continue seeking confirmation from local and county officials and will update this story as more information becomes available.
21 Responses
There is no legitimate reason any police agency whether it be local,county or state should not enter into the 287g agreement with federal law enforcement.Pure political interference and ignorance of federal law.
Hey, Protect our Pueblos, have you read this article @ InMaricopa?
“Maricopa’s reps honor Pinal County deputies who rescued child from trafficking operation.”
How about putting you energy into supporting the LEOs in their task of removing criminals from the our country that the last failed admin allowed in. You know like reporting criminals to ICE.
I’m sure they’re not against removal of true criminals, but rather they want to ensure that innocent people can be safe against wrongful detainment by ICE, which has happened many times.
Sneaking into the United States is a “true crime” 8 U.S.C. § 1325. Why don’t you concern yourself with the actual American Citizens who are harassed and often victimized by our fine local police. There are plenty of government injustices committed against citizens, call those out.
You’re assuming that all people detained by ICE are illegal immigrants. This, however, is not what I was saying. I said “innocent” people. That means people who were detained by ICE even though they shouldn’t have been.
I bet each day the Maricopa Police detain at least one person who did absolutely nothing wrong. Ask them for the number of non criminal contacts they have on any given day in which the person being contacted does not feel free to walk away. What your describing happens all day every day all over the country and has nothing to do with the officers office.
Define what is “innocent people” in reference to a persons that have entered the U.S. illegally and what is “wrongful detainment” for a person that has been detained for being in the United States illegally by the agency responsible for enforcing U.S law for entering the U.S illegally?
People who didn’t enter illegally and didn’t do wrong.
Foreign nationals are required to carry identification when in the United States at all times when here legally, they call it a green card, should probably do so, its required, otherwise might be detained. Actual U.S. citizens that obstruct immigration enforcement are going to be detained, not innocent any more. Very few people have been mistakenly detained by ICE as foreign nationals and almost every example that have are people that have inserted themselves into law enforcement operations or are failing to carry required identification, seriously ICE is not disappearing “innocent” people Gunner.
‘youR energy’
I ought to get involved with some local ICE observer stuff. I’d hate for people of my city to disappear because of ICE.
Gunner you really should get involved. Follow the example of Minnesota “observers” and roll up behind the next unmarked pickup making a stop on the 347, the vehicles in the photo’s RAZE and Protect Our Pueblos believe are ICE and be that citizen observer, exit your vehicle and blow a whistle even, I’m sure you’ll have a great day after doing that.
Sorry, but I don’t own a car to be able to do that.
Does RAZE or Protect our Pueblos know what they are talking about? Pinal County and DPS use unmarked vehicles to patrol the 347 often actually and almost everyone knows that including now the person in the photo. The grainy photo shows a pickup stopping a motorist with no marked unit in the photo and we are suppose to believe based this reporting that its ICE?
I would assume that they’d be smart enough to know.
You assume way to much then.
Last week the Phoenix Police shot and killed Christian Diaz who was protecting his family against a violent home invasion. Where is the outrage and people protesting in the streets. Where are the police tracking people alerting the citizens? This was an actual innocent person murdered by our overly aggressive, angry, and under trained Arizona Law Enforcement. Yet not one car has been set ablaze in protest. Odd…..
We dont need more violence and protests, we need citizens and police to follow the law and when its broken by the police they must be held accountable and when you cross the border illegally you must be held accountable. A large majority of Americans from both parties want Ice to deport illegal aliens. How about you and GunnerZ818 go protest and see what happen!
Focus on the fraud rather than some chinese dude who actually wants a better life than their communist and collasping government. At least have a priority system for the illegals with criminal records.
This is a very poor comparison between two things that, while being slightly similar, are largely different, especially regarding scale.
Why not just snitch on the actual criminals rather than announcing ICE is in town. People need to lear that ICE agents are real people with friends and families and just want to do their job and go home. That’s why they wear masks so people don’t harass them outside of their work.
Not all ICE agents are the same like police officers, but these restarted indivisuals can’t grasp that concept and take pictures of agents and post them online even if they have no relationship to ICE.