Numerous are actually concerned about Arizona. They are actually discussing within the state. The concern over SB1070, which allows officers to verify the immigration status of anyone they suspect can be illegal, is still unsettled, as the Obama administration has challenged the constitutional grounds of the law, which Governor Jan Brewer has decried. The feud between the Grand Canyon State and also the federal government has intensified, as the Justice Department is suing the controversial Sheriff of Maricopa County, Joe Arpaio. Joe Arpaio allegedly didn’t cooperate in a civil rights abuse investigation, says the Justice Department.
Suspected discrimination by Joe
The initial investigation was launched on suspicion that the tactics employed by Sheriff Joe Arpaio deliberately target Hispanics, irrespective of lawful status, in order to “sweep” illegal immigrants. The Maricopa County deputies were expected by the Sheriff to go to intensely Hispanic areas. The Los Angeles Times reports these deputies were supposed to stop every person for minor things. When there with the individuals, deputies had one job to complete. They were expected to verify immigration status. Doing this was expected by everybody. It was even expected before The Grand Canyon State immigration law was in place. The Justice Department asked Sheriff Arpaio for documentation of these sweeps. He was unwilling to give it up. Allegedly, he denied federal investigators access to buildings and refused to hand over requested material.
Lawsuits are the norm
The Maricopa Sheriff has had lawsuits before. He has been sued numerous times by families of inmates who have died in his jail, the notorious Tent City, which is really virtually a collection of tents in the desert surrounded by high fences with barbed wire at the top. ABC explains that an investigation as a result of corruption is being done by the grand jury for Sheriff Arpaio and also the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. The Justice Department made the initial request for documents and other materials more than a year ago. A federal judge found the Sheriff’s Office had wrecked documents pertaining to the sweeps in question that attorneys suing Arpaio’s department were entitled to see.
ABC News
blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/09/justice-department-sues-arizona-sheriff-joe-arpaio.html
LA Times
latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-lawsuit-arpaio-20100903,,2874529.story
