El Salvadorans sent home from Arizona
Jun 26, 2012, 1:59 PM | Updated: 2:12 pm
MESA, Ariz. — Dozens of El Salvadorans were flown home Tuesday from
Arizona, part of routine flights out of the state that typically are low key.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has four export hubs nationwide in
Louisiana, Texas, Florida and Arizona.
Using a fleet of MD-80 aircraft, a handful of flights leaves daily from
Arizona, carrying up to 136 passengers. Not all of those are international.
Tuesday’s plane had 80 people headed to El Salvador, a more than four-hour
flight. Violent offenders were shackled.
A day earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a provision in Arizona law that
requires police to verify immigration status when there’s reasonable suspicion
that a person is in the country illegally.
Federal immigration officers will
help only if doing so conforms to the department’s priorities.