According to the sheriff of Yuma County, Arizona, the Department of Justice is set to end a program called “Operation Streamline” which prosecutes first-time illegal border crossers, and U.S. Sens. Jeff Flake and John McCain are wondering why.
Sheriff Leon Wilmot brought the DOJ’s plan to Flake’s attention in a letter last month. In it, Wilmot noted the success of a program called Operation Streamline, which implemented a zero-tolerance policy against illegal immigration.
But the DOJ is ending the successful program and bringing Yuma County’s policies in line with other sectors that have had trouble keeping keeping a lid on illegal immigration.
“I have been informed that the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona will no longer be prosecuting first time undocumented aliens (UDAs),” Wilmot wrote.
Only UDAs with “adverse immigration history” or “criminal conviction of any kind” or who pose a public threat would be prosecuted under the new guidelines.
“This new guidance is of great concern because it undermines the mission of local law enforcement agencies throughout Yuma County for 100% prosecution of those entering the United States illegally in order to curb reentries,” Wilmot wrote, explaining that Yuma County will be “scaled back” to be more in line with the Tuscon Sector, where first-time offenders are not prosecuted.
“I’m not sure why or how the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona came up with this idea,” wrote Wilmot, arguing that the DOJ’s move will force Yuma County to implement practices “that are not working in other sectors.”
“This practice undermines everything that we have worked hard to achieve over the years for the citizens of Yuma County,” Wilmot wrote.