Ariz. spends $640,000 on immigration training

By JACQUES BILLEAUD
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) - Police agencies in Arizona have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars training officers to enforce the state's 2010 immigration law.

That spending was made despite claims from some of the law's supporters that it wasn't going to cost much extra for officers to carry out the statute.

Seven agencies have spent a combined $640,000 on training officers to enforce the law.

Beyond the training, there are costs to actually enforce the law. Those figures aren't known, but they aren't as great as opponents had predicted.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's spokesman says the amount being spent on the law would still pale in comparison to state's costs for the costs of educating illegal immigrants, jailing illegal immigrants arrested on state crimes and providing health care for those in the country illegally.

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