Some of the people who say they want to be Arizona’s governor view newly announced state plans to stem the tide of crime associated with illegal immigration with varying degrees of skepticism — even scorn.

“It made me laugh because there’s not a chance in hell it’s going to do what she wants it to do,” said Libertarian Barry Hess of Governor Napolitano’s strategies to crack down on human trafficking through a partnership between state and federal law enforcement. “Government can’t do it. It’s all circus peanuts.”

Mr. Hess, who ran against Ms. Napolitano in 2002, is expected to announce in September he will make another run next year.

On July 6, Governor Napolitano said she is near a formal agreement with the federal government to create a first-of-its-kind partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that would involve a team of 12 officers from the state Department of Public Safety and 12 U.S. Border Patrol agents to “combat violent human trafficking” and assist local law enforcement. They would be known as a “State Illegal Immigration Enforcement Squad.”

But, she added, “I don’t think any of us envision converting local police departments into adjunct border patrol agents and having them do sweeps and things of the nature of what happened in Chandler a few years ago, which ended up picking up legally present Arizonans, not illegally present Arizonans.”

The governor also has directed crackdowns on auto theft at the border with Mexico and the manufacturing of fake identification documents.

Gary Tupper, a Chandler resident who has filed as an independent candidate for governor but says he is going to re-file as a Republican, says Mexico must take the lead in solving illegal immigration problems.

“Immigration reform is really worthless,” he said. “You can’t control it without eliminating poverty and corruption in Mexico. We’re putting a Band-Aid on it and we’re not going to get anywhere.”

Mr. Tupper said racism is a factor in efforts to stop illegal border crossings, and the United States should help Mexico improve its economy as the way to stop illegal immigration.

Republican John Greene, who filed for governor last month, said Ms. Napolitano’s illegal immigration crime plan is a reaction to criticism she has received for vetoing bills that were intended to expand the scope of Prop. 200, an anti-illegal immigration measure passed by voters in 2004. However, he said the governor’s strategies are a start in the right direction, but are “much too little and politically too late.”

Mr. Greene said he has held discussions on the idea of forming a larger special unit within DPS to deal with illegal immigration. “She’s made a minor attempt at that,” he said of the governor’s plan.

Mr. Greene, who would not say with whom he’s been discussing his ideas, also suggests creating a group of off-duty and retired police officers, firemen and paramedics to deal with illegal border crossings and to prevent immigrant deaths.

Of the 1.1 million illegal immigrants apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol last year, 51 per cent crossed into the country at the Arizona border, the patrol said. The agency has increased the number of agents in the Tucson sector to 2,100 from 1,700 over the past two years.

Top Issue For 2006

Illegal immigration has unfolded as one of the top issues for the 2006 elections for governor and the Legislature, especially in southern Arizona.

“Every place I go, every group says can’t you do something,” said Sen. Marsha Arzberger, D-25. Her district covers two-thirds of the Mexican border with Arizona. “They ask me with pain in their voices,” she said.

Ms. Arzberger, who did not take an official position on Prop. 200 last year, said she tells constituents there is little state government can do about illegal immigration, but “I’ve got to applaud her [Ms. Napolitano] for doing something. We’re greatly restricted.”

Ms. Arzberger said part of the problem is that federal laws regarding human smuggling pre-empt state law.

She called for support of limited guest worker programs proposed by Arizona’s Sen. John McCain and U.S. Reps. Jeff Flake and Jim Kolbe and has asked that federal homeland security funding be allocated to the police on the Tohono O’odham Reservation, which has experienced a high rate of illegal immigration problems.

Governor: Feds Fail At Border Control

Ms. Napolitano, a Democrat, told reporters July 6 her administration has been working on illegal immigration for some time, and her recent actions have nothing to do with trying to get re-elected in 2006.

“I guess if you accept that argument,” she said, “I shouldn’t do anything until after the next election, and I don’t think that’s acceptable. I think what we need to do is take the politics out of this, quite frankly. We’ve had way too much politics and need to get to pragmatism.

“I gotta’ keep Arizonans on target here: The border is federal,” Ms. Napolitano said. “We are now making up for the total failure of the federal government to retain operational control of the Arizona border.”

Before announcing her illegal immigration strategies July 6, the governor issued a joint statement with Governor Eduardo Bours of Sonora, Mexico, declaring their intent to make the 375-mile border between their states to be the safest between the two countries.

Federal Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff last month offered the services of the federal government to train Department of Corrections personnel to assist in deportation of illegal aliens.

On June 27, Ms. Napolitano sent U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales another invoice for the state’s cost of jailing criminal aliens. According to bill, Arizona is owed more than $217 million.

The governor, scheduled to leave on a vacation and business trip to Russia and Europe on July 10, will not attend the July 12 immigration summit in Prescott, where law enforcement agencies will gather to make further recommendations for dealing with human trafficking and smuggling. —