MCSO: 36 arrested in Arizona crime and immigration sweep

PHOENIX - The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office arrested 36 people in a crime and immigration sweep Thursday and Friday, and six are suspected to be illegal immigrants.

Everyone arrested was stopped for traffic violations. The six suspected illegal immigrants were arrested on charges of failure to provide identification and will be turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be deported.

The arrests came as about 180 deputies and trained sheriff's volunteers fanned out across metropolitan Phoenix on Thursday and Friday targeting traffic violators who may also be illegal immigrants.

It was the 17th such sweep conducted by the office. The sweeps have netted about 1,000 arrests, and the sheriff's office says about 60 percent of those were illegal immigrants.

The arrests during this week's sweep are fewer than what the office typically nets. For instance, 111 people were arrested during the last sweep.

Sheriff's spokesman Jeff Sprong said possible causes for the lower figure are delays caused by protesters and heavy rain, saying that deputies tend to lighten up on the number of stops during bad weather for safety.

The sheriff's office also arrested 23 protesters Thursday after they beat on a metal door of the county jail. Officers in riot gear opened the doors, waded out into the crowd and hauled off those who didn't move.

Forty-eight other protesters were arrested by other agencies Thursday.

The sheriff's office arrested 12 more protesters Friday after they tried to block the immigration sweep.

Arizona's new immigration law went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday; a judge put the most controversial elements of it on hold, but allowed other portions to take effect.