Than illegal aliens. In two stories ICE expended hundreds of man hours and tens of thousands of dollars on an investigation of counterfeit Hello Kitty merchandise but U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement refused to take custody of six illegal aliens captured by Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
WaPo December 22, 2011 by Associated Press
Federal Investigation Yields Hundreds Of Thousands Of Counterfeit Goods Priced At $76 Million
MIAMI — Authorities conducting a six-week counterfeit sweep in three countries seized 327,000 phony items including fake Hello Kitty clothing and cheap imitation Casio G-Shock sport watches that if legitimate carry suggested retail prices of more than $76 million, federal investigators said Thursday.
“Counterfeiting remains a significant problem that demands strong enforcement efforts both here and abroad,” said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton.
Contrast Morton's and ICE's toadying to Red Chinese manufacturers and Japanese zaibatsu with its hostility to illegal aliens detained by Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO):
AZFamily.com December 22, 2011 by Jared Dillingham
MCSO At Odds With ICE Over Illegal Immigration
PHOENIX — The Maricopa County sheriff and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are at odds over an incident involving suspected illegal immigrants Wednesday night.
MCSO deputies pulled over a truck with 12 suspected illegal immigrants along Interstate 17 near Anthem. Deputies said they were able to detain six of them on state human-smuggling charges.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the other six, including two children, admitted they were in the country illegally and had each paid $3,000 to $4,000 to be brought from Mexico to New York.
In cases like this, in which being in the country illegally is the person's only crime, MCSO routinely turns the suspected illegal immigrants over to federal ICE agents. However, when deputies called ICE Wednesday night, they say ICE agents refused to respond to the scene.
"It's unprecedented," Arpaio said.
For some reason, ICE is granting amnesty to illegal aliens captured by Maricopa County, as if that excuses their crimes.
"Following DOJ's finding of unlawful police practices by the MCSO, ICE dedicated 50 officers to provide 24/7 coverage of the Maricopa County jail," ICE spokeswoman Amber Cargile said in a written statement." Accordingly, ICE enforcement focuses first on serious criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to public safety, such as individuals charged with or convicted of serious crimes. ICE also prioritizes the arrest and removal of immigration fugitives and criminal aliens who have been previously deported and illegally re-entered the country."
The last laugh though is on ICE and John Morton. The U.S. Border Patrol picked up the illegal aliens and deported them to Mexico.
Arpaio's deputies convinced the Border Patrol in Casa Grande to take the six suspected illegal immigrants in question.
Cleary even the Department of Homeland Security components like the Border Patrol don't believe the Department of Justice lies about Sheriff Arpaio.
