By Michelle Castro Smythe

PHOENIX — Immigration is a hot topic nationally, and especially in the Phoenix area. Trying to have a reasonable discussion about it is challenging at best. The issue is so divisive it can cause heated arguments among family members and friends. Trying to organize a communitywide conversation in order to reach a middle ground solution seems almost unachievable, yet this is the goal that a local activist is setting for herself.

Independent Congressional District 3 candidate and longtime Phoenix community activist, Annie Loyd, announced recently that she is stepping down from her campaign to address an issue that she feels is dividing the community: illegal immigration. During her campaign, the issue of illegal immigration constantly came up and Loyd learned that there is a critical need for leadership in the Phoenix community to bring forth reasonable and equitable solutions to the mounting and divisive issue of how to address immigration.

Former congressional candidate Annie Lloyd
(Source: annielloydforcongress.com)

"We have a clear understanding of the immediate challenges that are facing our community. In the last several months, it became apparent that running for office was an impediment to having honest and forthright conversations in the critical areas and creating the coalitions we knew were necessary for constructive and long-term solutions," Loyd stated in a media release issued May 13, 2008.

Loyd's new role as an immigration activist includes going to all the locations where Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio conducts sweeps that target undocumented immigrants.

It also involves attempting to organize a communitywide discussion about the issue and finding reasonable solutions without dividing the community even more.

Loyd addressed some of her concerns in a Q&A session published in The Arizona Republic, May 28, 2008.

Question: Why is this issue so important to you?

Answer: Illegal immigration takes in every issue there is - education, the environment, families, family values, religion, culture, transportation, distribution of resources and more. I first noticed it when I worked in construction. It was so hard to find workers. A suburban kid quits in two days. You put a Latino worker on the job, and they would go at it day in and day out. They were polite, kind and trustworthy. Since then I have traveled to Mexico and Latin America, where I saw the poverty and I saw how people could make a big difference with few resources.

Q: To what do you attribute the controversy the issue has caused here?

A: First, when 9/11 happened, we redirected resources away from community programs to military programs. Second, the culture in Phoenix has not merged yet. We are a new city still trying to figure out how to be a city. There also is a social-economic disparity. CEOs are making more in one day than many people make in a year, so many people have legitimate beefs. They need somewhere to direct that anger.

Q: Have Sheriff Joe Arpaio's efforts helped?

A: No. My biggest issue is that he is not arresting real criminals. You cannot solve the problem by scaring everyone. This has become so politicized that we are shooting ourselves in the foot. We cannot put enough cops on the street to do all we ask them to do, and if we did, it would be a militarized community.

Q: What needs to be done?

A: We need to figure out how to return to being the community that we want to be. We'd have these conversations in the campaign. It is up to us as individuals to dig down deeper. Blaming others is a big part of our problem. We have to be responsible ourselves. The best we can hope for right now is to make sure the city does not burn, literally and figuratively. People are frustrated on both sides of the issue. And we are stirring the pot. What we need is an effort to ratchet down the rhetoric.

MARICOPA COUNTY — As a result of being cut off from state funds, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office is facing steep budget cuts that will affect the sheriff's immigration sweeps. Unhappy with the budget cuts, which he sees as a way to derail his efforts to arrest undocumented immigrants, Arpaio vows that he will continue with the sweeps.

State officials say that the budget reductions are necessary because of Arizona's slowing economy. Ordinarily, the source for the Sheriff's funding of his immigration sweeps comes from his general fund. So far this year, the Sheriff has spent about $35,000 for salaries and an additional $24,000 in grant money to conduct his sweeps in search of undocumented immigrants.

It is reported that another $1.6 million in state funds helps pay for those sweeps. In a deal that is being worked out by Arpaio's administrators and county budget officials, the sheriff's department would lose about $4 million from its general fund for a total of $72.5 million.

It's not only the immigration patrols that will be affected by the budget cuts but also other things such as mounted horse patrols, motorcycle patrols and reductions in overtime pay.

In a recent press conference, Arpaio made his feelings known about the budget cuts, who he blames and how it will affect the future of how he enforces the law.

PHOENIX — Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon is the subject of a recall petition spearheaded by a new Arizona anti-immigrant group known as American Citizens United.

Anti-immigrant group spearheads petition drive to recall Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon.
(Source: Phoenix NewTimes)

Targeted for not supporting Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his "saturation patrols" which hunt for undocumented immigrants, Gordon was accused by the group as not doing enough to stop illegal immigration.

The American Citizens United group needs to collect 23,751 signatures by the end of August to force a recall and have set up a website at www.recallmayorgordon.com.

However, more than 100 supporters of the Mayor gathered in front of the Phoenix City Hall to counter the move from the anti-immigrant group. Supporters say it will take a voter-registration drive to help defeat the recall effort.

To meet their objective, supporters say they will help the mayor with the drive by enlisting support from local youth, help fundraise for the campaign and assist with grass-roots organizing.

We look upon Mayor Phil Gordon as someone who has shown the kind of leadership we need," said George Dean, president of the Greater Phoenix Urban League. "Phil Gordon is the best mayor that Phoenix could have."

MESA — It would be an understatement to say that Spanish-speaking residents of Arizona don't feel completely comfortable talking with police these days — even when it's to report a crime.

To bridge that comfort gap, Mesa police officials held a telethon on April 24 for Spanish-speaking residents to call in and ask officials any questions on their minds and to report any criminal activity as well. Twenty Spanish-speaking volunteers and several officers were on hand to take calls and answer questions. Callers could remain anonymous and officials credit that factor with the success of the telethon.

Officials say they received 110 calls that yielded valuable information that the department planned to share with neighboring police departments.