Cochise County sheriff says AZ ICE Act would be costly, unnecessary as situation on border improves

PHOENIX — Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels doesn’t think the AZ ICE Act is necessary legislation.

“The reason why we’re having to have these discussions on these bills is [because] politics is involved,” Dannels told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Tuesday. “Take the politics out of it, the system works. It truly does.”

Also known as SB 1164, this bill would require county sheriff’s departments and the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry to enter into agreements with the federal government to enforce national immigration laws.

“If the sheriff, police chief or whoever in law enforcement would just work with our federal partners, and federal partners work with us, we can keep our streets safe,” Dannels said. “We can get the worst of the worst off the streets … whether it be incarceration or deportation.”

Currently, the La Paz, Pinal and Yavapai County sheriff’s offices have entered into these agreements, according to the ICE website.

Cochise County Sheriff on AZ Ice Act

Dannels also described the law as an unfunded mandate.

“You don’t see anything in that bill says, ‘Hey, we’re going to add a bunch of money to you,'” he said.

Enforcing border laws costs a great deal of money for rural communities in Arizona. For Cochise County, it’s cost $14.4 million in three years, Dannels said.

“We have a grant that helps cover that. Otherwise, where’s that money come from? Our local communities, we don’t have that kind of money,” Dannels said. “It’s really concerning, but … I see the need for it.”

However, he is worried about how the AZ ICE Act would impact sheriff’s departments in the long term.

“With President Trump at the helm, things … have gotten better here on the border,” Dannels said. “But, at the end of the day, when President Trump’s not in office, where does this bill take us?”

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