SPRINGDALE -- In the wake of recent media reporting on the number of immigration-related arrests in Northwest Arkansas, Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse sought Friday to reaffirm what the city's police officers do and don't do related to immigration operations.

The mayor issued a statement Friday pointing out the city's police officers derive their authority from the state of Arkansas and are sworn to enforce the criminal laws of the state. Residency status and immigration violations are under federal jurisdiction, he said, adding that under state law, unlawful presence in the U.S. is not, by itself, a crime.

"Consequently, our officers do not patrol for immigration violations, nor do they demand proof of citizenship from those encountered during routine community caretaking or criminal inv

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