Sheriff Makes Illegal Aliens Register for Draft
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who gained notoriety for putting inmates on chain gangs and issuing them striped uniforms and pink underwear, has now ordered all illegal aliens in jail to register for the draft.
About 500 illegal aliens housed in the Phoenix-area countyâs jail system have not complied with a 1980 federal law that requires all men between the ages of 18 and 26 to register for the draft, regardless of their immigration status, Arpaio said.
"I canât say that Iâve ever heard anything like this, but we do appreciate any effort toward compliance," said Dan Amon, a spokesman for the Selective Service System in Washington, D.C.
He said Arpaio might be doing the illegal aliens a favor by ordering them to register, because Selective Service is tied to a number of benefits, including citizenship.
If they want to legalize their immigration status, the first thing they would be asked is whether they are registered for the draft, Amon said.
Posted by: tipper 2004-01-17 |