Twelve illegal immigrants were arrested Monday in Mesa as Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio continued his efforts to arrest illegal border crossers under the state’s antismuggling law.
Deputies stopped a vehicle at Stapley Drive and U.S. 60 after noticing the brake lights were out. Arpaio said that’s when deputies found the illegal immigrants inside.
Arpaio argues the yearold anti-smuggling law allows authorities to charge border crossers with conspiring to smuggle themselves, even though a recent county Superior Court ruling dismissed the case against two immigrants.
“That doesn’t set precedent,” Arpaio said.
Deputies have arrested 258 immigrants under the law this year.
