PHOENIX — Recently, ABC15 sat down with Colonel Jeffrey Glover, head of the Arizona Department of Public Safety, to discuss a wide range of issues, including what Col. Glover sees as DPS's role in immigration enforcement.
"Really, we don't have a role in immigration enforcement because we don't conduct immigration enforcement," explains Col. Glover. "The only time we become involved in that aspect of enforcement is if we have a state crime. If there is a state crime that occurs and it sort of leads us down that path, then we work with our partners on the federal side to inform them that we have someone that has an immigration tie to it. That is their responsibility and so we work with them on that."
Recently, Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller announced that investigators with his office now have federal authority to identify and remove undocumented immigrants who had committed crimes in what's known as a 287(g) agreement, which essentially grants officers more immigration enforcement abilities.
ABC15 asked Col. Glover if he felt DPS should do the same.
"No, it's just not our role or responsibility," explains Col. Glover. "We are focused on the mission of being able to keep the roadways safe, being an assist agency, and providing resources to other agencies when they need it. That gets beyond our scope. We are busy enough already with just that aspect of our job...to add to that would be more compounding to the situation of the workload."
Watch the full interview with Col. Glover in the video player below:
