Nineteen Suspected Illegal Immigrants Stopped Near Stanfield, Including 10-Year-Old Girl

A traffic stop near State Highways 347 and 84 on Saturday resulted in the apprehension of 12 suspected illegal immigrants, including a 10-year-old girl. Seven others got away. The undocumented travelers were in a caravan of three vehicles all going 75 miles per hour in a 55-mph-zone, says a write-up of the incident...

By Ray Stern

April 13, 2011

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

A traffic stop near State Highways 347 and 84 on Saturday resulted in the apprehension of 12 suspected illegal immigrants, including a 10-year-old girl.

Seven others got away.

The undocumented travelers were in a caravan of three vehicles all going 75 miles per hour in a 55-mph-zone, says a write-up of the incident released today by Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu's press office.

The caravan drew the attention of a Pinal County deputy, who called in for back-up from his own agency and the Town of Maricopa Police Department.

When the vehicles stopped, three people from one car and six people from another bolted. Law officers could only catch the two slowest -- the girl and her mother.

Six people admitted to being in the country illegally from Mexico; all the suspects were turned over to U.S. Border Patrol.

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Phoenix New Times has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.

Ray Stern is the former news editor of Phoenix New Times. He worked as a newspaper reporter in Arizona for more than two decades. He's won numerous awards for his reporting, including the Arizona Press Club's Don Bolles Award for Investigative Journalism.