Suit Accuses Ariz. County of Profiling

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Suit Accuses Ariz. County of Profiling

Thursday December 13, 2007 11:31 AM

PHOENIX (AP) - A Mexican citizen who is legally in the
United States has sued the Maricopa County Sheriff's
Office, claiming its aggressive immigration
enforcement has led to racial profiling.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court,
outlines several alleged instances where Sheriff Joe
Arpaio and his deputies overstepped their authority,
targeted people solely based on race and detained
individuals who are legally in the country.

Arpaio, who has drawn controversy for dressing
inmates in pink underwear and putting them in chain
gangs, called the lawsuit frivolous and said it is an
attempt to intimidate him before his office begins
enforcing a new law on Jan. 1 that threatens employers
with penalties if they knowingly hire illegal workers.

The lawsuit seeks a judgment that Arpaio's actions are
unconstitutional, injunctions prohibiting the use of
the sheriff's anti-immigration hot line, and the
disbanding of the Illegal Immigration Interdiction unit.

-snip-

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