Posted on 06/01/2006 9:41:17 AM PDT by STARWISE
Nine of 48 illegal immigrants charged with conspiracy to smuggle humans — themselves — pleaded guilty to lesser charges Tuesday and will be deported under an agreement with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
They join four other immigrants who recently agreed to the deal, pleading guilty to solicitation to smuggle. In addition to deportation, the border crossers were placed on two years of probation.
The 48 immigrants were the first in the county to be charged with conspiracy to smuggle humans — a unique interpretation of a state law aimed at cracking down on coyotes, who are paid by immigrants to get them across the border.
Plea offers for the remaining 35 defendants are now off the table, said Bill FitzGerald, spokesman for the county attorney’s office.
Those defendants will await a ruling by Judge Thomas O’Toole of Maricopa County Superior Court on whether the state can charge the people being smuggled across with conspiracy under Arizona’s new anti-coyote law.
The defense attorneys and County Attorney Andrew Thomas have said they will appeal O’Toole’s decision if they lose. That means the border crossers could spend months in jail if they can’t make bail.
Timothy Agan is a defense attorney representing one defendant who hasn’t pleaded guilty. He said the deal that was offered by the county attorney’s office has no real benefit, except to get them out of jail sooner.
The immigrants have been in jail almost three months now.
In early March, Maricopa County sheriff’s deputies stopped two vanloads of illegal immigrants in the far West Valley.
In addition to the 48 immigrants, one man, Javier Ruiz, was charged with human smuggling.
Since then, more than 200 people have been arrested and charged as conspirators. The outcome of their cases also depends on O’Toole’s ruling.
On Tuesday, deputies with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office arrested 10 more border crossers.
ping
They'll be back in less than a week after deportation :(
Can anyone explain this to me? If they are deported what is the sense of the two years of probation?
They'll be right back in business tomorrow.
And the Maricopa County Jail: That's the one where they sleep in tents, get no coffee - just water, and meals are bologna sandwiches twice a day, isn't it?
Green bologna and pink underwear. Wonder if they still do that?
"Can anyone explain this to me? If they are deported what is the sense of the two years of probation?"
Yea, they will need to come back every couple of months to check in with their probation officer and maybe take a drug test once in a while. Hell, they will be back soon so why not make them check in? When they don't, and are picked up again, they will also be charged with violating their probation and sent to jail longer. Makes sense to me!
Yes we do. Sheriff Arpaio is planning to build an even bigger tent city to supplement the one we have.
IIRC there are about 200 more illegals in jail awaiting trial right now. And we're out there getting more of them every day. I wonder if the ones we deport will start spreading the word back home.
Where will these illegals report to a probation officer? Will they come back in bi-weekly or so..or report to Fox, to 'splain how they made it across...
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