Pine Bluff Commercial
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas -- The Arkansas State Police is working on an agreement with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency that would allow troopers to arrest suspected illegal immigrants, (Democrat) Gov. Mike Beebe and the state police director said Tuesday.
The move comes two years after the Legislature passed a law authorizing the agreement, and a year after Beebe questioned the effectiveness of troopers enforcing immigration laws.
But Beebe said Tuesday he asked state police director, Col. Winford Phillips, two weeks ago to pursue a memorandum of understanding with the federal agency because the state had not yet done so.
"When we became aware of it and saw no one was following the law, we said follow the law," Beebe told The Associated Press in an interview.
Posted by tyne at September 19, 2007