Day Labor Sanctuary in Arizona No Longer Safe

Sheriff Arpaio says of the nine arrested near day labor sanctuary: "Thursday's arrests were just the beginning"
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9 arrested near day labor sanctuary
Crackdown on church precedes tougher laws
Beth Duckett
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 28, 2007 12:00 AM

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said he is not waiting for new Cave Creek laws to take effect before cracking down on the town's mostly undocumented-immigrant day laborers.

Sheriff's deputies arrested nine people near a church sanctuary Thursday, just days after Arpaio heralded new town laws expected to trigger a crackdown on the workers when the laws take effect next month.

"We're not waiting for the 30 days for these ordinances to be implemented," Arpaio said. "We have received a lot of calls about Cave Creek having drophouses and illegals in the area."

Up in arms about the arrests is Father Glenn B. Jenks of Good Shepherd of the Hills Episcopal Church, 6502 E. Cave Creek Road, which for more than six years has been a safe haven for laborers looking for employment.

"They'll just go to another community not as shortsighted as this one," Jenks said. "This may make the sheriff look tough, but it's not in the best interest of the community."

The Cave Creek Town Council passed two laws Monday, touting them as safety measures. One toughens the town's ban on loitering, and the other bans cars from stopping on town streets.

Both take effect Oct. 24.

But on Thursday, sheriff's deputies - which act as Cave Creek's police force - arrested workers who were passengers in two vehicles as they exited the church's parking lot. One car was speeding and the other had a broken taillight, Arpaio said.

"The drivers were legal, but the passengers were illegal," the sheriff said. "We've been doing this all over the Valley."

The drivers were given warnings. No citations were issued.

What was once only a climate of fear has flared into panic for workers at the day-labor center.

"I can't believe this is happening," Jenks said. "The attitude is, 'Let's just sweep the rats into Phoenix and get them out of our town.' "

Jenks, who called the arrests "counterproductive," said he expects the dozens of remaining workers to gather elsewhere.

Cave Creek Mayor Vincent Francia, a supporter of the church's efforts, dismissed the arrests as "doing what they do everyday," pulling over people suspected of breaking the law.

"It just has to do with the normal activities they do for us," Francia said.

Arpaio said Thursday's arrests were just the beginning.

"We're not done yet, and I'm not just talking about Cave Creek," the sheriff said. "Stay tuned."



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