Home > Our Blog > Sheriff Joe Arpaio Sued by Feds After He Refuses To Cooperate With Civil Rights Probe

Blog Post

Sheriff Joe Arpaio Sued by Feds After He Refuses To Cooperate With Civil Rights Probe

Posted September 2, 2010 by Patrick Young, Esq.
Categories: Hate Watch

The United States Department of Justice filed suit to compel Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio to cooperate with a federal investigation into civil rights violation by his department. According to the Los Angeles Times:

The litigation came two months after a Justice Department lawsuit halted a tough new Arizona immigration law, which Arpaio strongly supported. The new lawsuit is unrelated to the immigration law and stems from an investigation into the sheriff’s immigration enforcement operations. The department said it was the first time in 30 years a police agency had not cooperated in a civil-rights probe.

“The actions of the sheriff’s office are unprecedented. It is unfortunate that the department was forced to resort to litigation to gain access to public documents and facilities,” said Thomas E. Perez, assistant attorney general for the civil-rights division, in a statement.

For more than three years, Arpaio has attracted praise as well as condemnation for using his deputies to track down illegal immigrants. The most high-profile example is his so-called “sweeps,” during which deputies flood immigrant-heavy neighborhoods, stop people for minor infractions such as driving with a broken taillight and check their immigration status. The tactics have made Arpaio popular in Arizona, the main gateway for illegal immigrants into the United States, but also have drawn widespread complaints that he unfairly targets Latinos.

In the lawsuit, the Department of Justice said it asked for 51 different sets of documents in March 2009, shortly after launching the probe. Arpaio’s office provided only 11 pages and had not handed over any others. His office also would not let investigators tour the county jail or other sheriff’s facilities. Arpaio previously said he had no legal obligation to give the Justice Department other material and dismissed the probe as politically motivated.

Tags : arizona, arpaio

Permalink Comments