(Phoenix) A new statute allows law enforcers to jail illegal aliens for conspiring with human smugglers, called coyotes, to sneak them into the United States. A total of 54 were apprehended yesterday after being discovered in a pair of furniture trucks. All were booked under the crime of human smuggling.
From AZCentral.com:
The law, enacted in August, gave the state's prosecutors a way to go after coyotes. But it was unclear whether the people being smuggled would be treated as victims or as partners in crime.Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a get it done guy in my opinion, said the relationship between the smuggler and the smuggled is similar to a dealer and his customer. Either way, the law is being violated. Open border advocates are sure the law will be challenged.
It didn't take long for Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas to issue his opinion: Undocumented migrants can be prosecuted as co-conspirators if they pay a coyote for transport. Thomas got his chance to test his interpretation on Thursday.
"The bottom line is Arizona has a tremendous problem with illegal immigration," Thomas said. "Look, if you're going to enter Maricopa County and try to commit a felony, you're going to jail and you're going to be prosecuted."
Thomas' interpretation, issued in September, makes it possible to charge undocumented immigrants with a felony punishable by up to 2 1/2 years in prison.
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