PHOENIX (AZFamily) — In Los Angeles, protestors are taking to the streets after dozens of people were detained by federal agents last week. The Valley saw similar protests 15 years ago, as then-Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio ordered immigration raids and roundups at businesses like car washes and restaurants.
The former sheriff told Arizona’s Family Monday that he was enforcing federal and state immigration laws when raiding workplaces from 2006 to 2016.
Activists fought back then and this week say what took place in Maricopa County during that time is eerily similar to what’s happening now on a federal level. “We’ve seen this. Our community has resisted this before,” said former state Rep. John Loredo.
During his decades-long tenure as the Maricopa County sheriff, Arpaio and his office conducted several raids targeting businesses suspected of employing undocumented workers. “I still remember Arpaio setting up his detention buses in those lots, and we were there literally yelling at the people that were apprehended, ‘Do not sign anything. You have constitutional rights. Make sure you have legal representation,’” recalled Danny Ortega.
Ortega was a key community activist during the time Arpaio detained hundreds of people, targeting them for using stolen names or Social Security numbers to get jobs. “Arpaio was a small operation compared to this gigantic operation on the nationwide level,” he said.
Federal courts ultimately found Arpaio’s tactics were unconstitutional. “There’s an important point here to be made. Trust the courts. We did so back in the Arpaio days, and the federal judge that put a stop to him was ultimately correct,” he said.
Loredo also fought back against the community raids. What we learned then is if you attack the workforce, you are attacking the economy in Arizona and Joe Arpaio drove the economy straight into the, into the gutter,” Loredo said. “That is what’s going to happen with President Trump’s attacks as well.”
Loredo believes the community will react the same way it did during Arpaio’s term and similar to the response in Los Angeles. “If they start doing the workplace raids here, make no mistake, we’re ready for this. We were ready then, we’re ready now and we will stand up against it and fight back,” he said.
Despite organizations in the community reporting that workplace raids are expected to begin this week, an ICE spokesperson would not confirm, instead sharing a statement that said, “The agency does not confirm or discuss future operations.”
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