Two immigration agents will begin working Monday in northern Arizona for a 90-day trial period as part of a federal effort to determine if agents should be posted there permanently, officials said Tuesday.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, who will work out of Flagstaff, will assist local police agencies investigating immigration-related crimes in Coconino, Yavapai and Mohave counties.

The agency, responsible for immigration enforcement away from the border, focuses on southern Arizona and metropolitan Phoenix and has never had agents stationed in northern Arizona. Its response to immigration incidents in rural areas has been criticized in the past by state officials.

The move wasn’t based on complaints from local officials, but instead was meant to examine whether the agency needed to expand its enforcement into northern Arizona, said Lauren Mack, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

KVOA