Desert Invasion - U.S.

Jail inmates to clean up desert mess - Sheriff: It helps planet, fights illegal immigration

By Judi Villa, Arizona Republic

December 1, 2006

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1201dumping1201.html

Water bottles. Sleeping bags. Empty food containers.

It's an unsightly mess left behind at temporary campsites set up by illegal immigrants [criminal illegal aliens] trekking through Maricopa County's desert areas.

And starting today, about 200 jail inmates will be cleaning it up.

Dubbed "Operation I.C.U.," because the desert requires "intensive care," Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the desert trash pickup is a new phase in his fight against illegal immigration and an effort to improve the environment at the same time. The "Illegal Alien Campsite Clean Up" will occur monthly.

"These people are coming here illegally. They're breaking the law, and they're destroying our desert," Arpaio said. "It's disgusting."

Deputies have been coming across campsites and snapping photos of the filth since Arpaio's anti-human-smuggling unit began looking for and arresting illegal immigrants in March. So far, 351 illegal immigrants have been jailed, and Arpaio said their mess needs to be cleaned up.

Deputy Chief Brian Sands estimates there are about 15 large illegal campsites in the western part of the county. They are used as "drop zones" and temporary staging areas for illegal immigrants. The immigrants will stay there anywhere from a couple of hours to several days, until they can be picked up and transported to their destinations. They usually leave in a hurry, dumping blankets and other trash. In some areas, trash piles are knee deep.

"There's all these little campsites over the years that have turned into this big mess," Sands said.

Illegal dumping not only ruins views but threatens the health of people who live or play there; over time, it pollutes the ground and groundwater....

Arpaio said his cleanup will cost taxpayers almost nothing. Trash bags and dump trucks have been donated, and inmate labor is free. Of the 200 convicted inmates who will take part today, 10 are foreign nationals from Mexico, Arpaio said...

But cleaning up the desert has another benefit: intelligence. Deputies will sift through the trash, looking for clues that could help curtail illegal immigration even more....

Deputies will try to determine from the trash if other foreigners are being smuggled through Arizona. Any maps could provide a better indication of smuggling routes...

Read the complete article.