U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell, D-Tempe/Scottsdale, is working with a Republican counterpart from San Diego to combat human smugglers’ use of drop houses for Mexican immigrants.
Mitchell and U.S. Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-San Diego, introduced a bill Monday to make it easier to seize suspected drop houses in the Phoenix area and Southern California.
Civil forfeiture rules allow police and prosecutors to seize property and vehicles used by criminal syndicates. The rules have been used for years against drug traffickers and organized crime crews, but rules limit the ability to seize drop houses. The Stop Drop Houses Act HR 5769 would eliminate that loophole.
Human smugglers and drug traffickers use homes to temporarily house illegal immigrants and illegal contraband smuggled into the Southwestern U.S. from Mexico. Mitchell said the Phoenix area may has as many 1,000 such drop houses.
Bilbray is a conservative Republican from San Diego who supports Arizona’s new immigration law.
