Earlier this week, it was reported that the Arizona Department of Public Safety had an illegal immigrant working as an officer. Carmen Figueroa resigned from DPS on Monday, December 9th after an internal investigation was completed Friday, December 6th, said officer Bart Graves, the DPS spokesman. The investigation started on September 4th, when Officer Figueroa was put on paid administrative leave.
How did we get here?
Carmen Figueroa was hired in 2003. “She had an exemplary work record as an officer,” said DPS spokesperson Bart Graves. “She was brought up, along with her brother, always believing what their mother told them, that they were both American citizens.”
Figueroa had recently been promoted to a position as a DPS spokesperson in Tucson, according to Officer Graves. Prior to working for the DPS, she had worked at the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
In June 2013, Figueroa’s brother, a member of the US Air Force, applied for a passport. He was told that a red flag had been raised during the State Department’s background check. Their investigation revealed that he was an illegal immigrant; he was stunned. He informed them that he had been told he was born in the US and thought he was a citizen. He added that he had a sister, who was a law enforcement officer in Arizona. The State Department informed Carmen of her status in June. Carmen was also in disbelief. They both were raised thinking they were citizens. According to the Arizona DPS, it seems that Figueroa and her brother may have both been told that they were born in the United States, but in fact, had been brought into the U.S. from Mexico at a very young age.
On August 22, DPS was informed that the State of Arizona was investigating one of their officers, reports Graves. The investigation notification prompted the agency to put Ms. Figueroa on administrative leave on September 4th.
When asked about the hiring process in 2003, Graves said, “All documentation received by the department seemed authentic, including a delayed birth certificate indicating she was born in 1971 in Texas and a high school graduation diploma and drivers license from California.” Graves also said that every item and document provided by Ms. Figueroa “checked out.”
Ms. Figueroa did not immediately report the situation to her employer. And that, it seems, was her only mistake; however, for someone in law enforcement, it was a critical mistake, but only a mistake.
The true culprits, the ones who violated the law, are the Figueroa siblings’ parents. They could have secured a bright future for their children when the Reagan Administration offered amnesty. They could have become naturalized citizens, and both Carmen and her brother could be enjoying their careers, which are now ended, along with life as they have known it.
Graves was asked that if Figueroa had come to the department as soon as she became aware in June, if there could have been a different outcome. He said, “Unfortunately, the state law ARS 14-12 is very clear and specific. To be a law enforcement officer, a person must be a naturalized citizen.” When asked if the state used eVerify, Graves pointed out that it wasn’t available until 2008, and all of her documentation appeared to be in order in 2003.
His response to one last question, how is the department going to prevent this from occurring in the future? Graves said. “Nothing has been announced, but I know there are meetings taking place to identify procedures that might be implemented to reduce the possibility.”
While DPS identifies their procedures, many view the case of Carmen Figueroa as a reason to begin a reform of immigration laws. While Paul Ryan and the chambers of commerce fight for amnesty, Figueroa’s case is another example of Reagan’s amnesty failure. However, Figueroa’s case brings into sharp focus the arguments in support of treating DREAMERS, not recent arrivals, but those who were brought as children and know no other country, as victims of a crime.
In the United States of America, the concept of children paying for the sins of their fathers is an anathema.