PHOENIX — With all the conflict in Minnesota relating to Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdowns, will the Valley see a similar surge in enforcement?
State and local leaders are not confirming anything credible right now, even as advocacy groups and immigration lawyers prepare for the worst.
More than a hundred students at Red Mountain High School in Mesa on Tuesday took to standing up against ICE operations around the country. Communities in the Valley are bracing for what could happen here.
“The concern is that if ICE and border patrol were to come to Arizona as they’re doing in Minneapolis, that is concerning to us,” said Jose Patino, with the immigration advocacy group Aliento.
Groups like Aliento say they have not heard anything concrete about whether ICE could surge in the Phoenix metro. That is not stopping them from preparing the community for anything: Teaching people to have their documents ready and to know their rights.
“We always tell folks not to panic, but be prepared. You just never know when it’s going to rain,” said Patino.
For their part, ICE Director Todd Lyons told Scripps News their job is to keep neighborhoods safe.
“Over 70 percent of people that are in ICE detention right now either have a criminal conviction or a pending criminal charge," said Lyons.
ABC15 contacted local ICE officials to ask about enforcement in Arizona, but we did not receive a response.
ABC15 anchor Javier Soto also sat down with Governor Katie Hobbs earlier this month to ask about immigration enforcement.
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“There was a report last week that said Arizona, specifically Phoenix, was the next target for mass immigration sweeps. Have you been able to confirm that, and what’s your response to that?” asked Soto.
“So I’m not going to act on rumors, and there’s a lot of reporting out there. We want to make sure we’re getting in front of misinformation. We’ve been in contact with the administration. We can’t confirm anything,” replied Hobbs.
But how much will Arizona law enforcement work with federal immigration officers?
According to ProPublica, of at least 106 municipal police departments, sheriff's offices, and county attorneys in the state, only nine currently have agreements to cooperate with ICE in making arrests, as of late last year.
Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan posted on social media over the weekend, promising to protect ICE agents and arrest anyone interfering with their work.
One immigration lawyer we spoke with says it is only a matter of time before ICE shows up here in full force.
“Phoenix being ground zero, what I would call ground zero for immigration, I do believe it’s a matter of when, not if," said Bruno Gitnacht, an immigration attorney.
