Racial profiling in Arizona?
That's nothing new, critics say
Sheriff Joe Arpaio has held illegal-immigration 'sweeps' for years in Maricopa County. They have made him popular in the state, but also have spurred lawsuits, investigations and complaints.May 01, 2010|By Nicholas Riccardi, Los AngelesTimes
Nick Oza / Arizona Republic
Reporting from Phoenix As the country debates whether a tough new Arizona law against illegal immigration will lead to racial profiling, Latino activists and civil rights attorneys contend that profiling is already a reality in the Maricopa County, where two-thirds of the state's residents live.
For three years, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been arguably the most aggressive law enforcement official in the country in using his powers to enforce federal immigration laws. Most prominently, since 2008 he has sent hundreds of his deputies and sworn volunteers on "sweeps" through immigrant-heavy neighborhoods, where they stop jaywalkers or drivers with broken taillights and ask for identification and immigration information. An analysis by civil rights lawyers found 70% of those arrested in these operations have Spanish surnames. Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and Scottsdale, is only 31% Latino, the majority of whom are legal residents or U.S. citizens.
Arpaio's tactics, which he says are necessary to suppress crime, have made him wildly popular in Arizona. But the mass arrests have also resulted in an investigation by the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, lawsuits from civil rights lawyers and complaints even from longtime police supporters like Dan Magos.
The 64-year-old contractor was pulled over by a sheriff's deputy in December, purportedly for not having a license plate on the trailer affixed to his pickup. Magos, a U.S. citizen since 1967, had a gun for protection inside his truck which is legal under Arizona law and had never been an issue before with police. He said the deputy made him wait 10 minutes before letting him go with the words: "I don't want you to think this has anything to do with racial profiling."
Magos didn't believe him. "I lost respect for the sheriff's office, for his deputies," said Magos, who describes himself as the sort of citizen who regularly calls police to report the slightest disorder in his foothill neighborhood. "He changed my view of myself. I always felt American, no hyphenation. Now he put the hyphen on."
Justice department cannot touch him, because the Federal Immigration law allows him to do it.

That's nothing new, critics say
Sheriff Joe Arpaio has held illegal-immigration 'sweeps' for years in Maricopa County. They have made him popular in the state, but also have spurred lawsuits, investigations and complaints.May 01, 2010|By Nicholas Riccardi, Los AngelesTimes
Nick Oza / Arizona Republic
Reporting from Phoenix As the country debates whether a tough new Arizona law against illegal immigration will lead to racial profiling, Latino activists and civil rights attorneys contend that profiling is already a reality in the Maricopa County, where two-thirds of the state's residents live.
For three years, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been arguably the most aggressive law enforcement official in the country in using his powers to enforce federal immigration laws. Most prominently, since 2008 he has sent hundreds of his deputies and sworn volunteers on "sweeps" through immigrant-heavy neighborhoods, where they stop jaywalkers or drivers with broken taillights and ask for identification and immigration information. An analysis by civil rights lawyers found 70% of those arrested in these operations have Spanish surnames. Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and Scottsdale, is only 31% Latino, the majority of whom are legal residents or U.S. citizens.
Arpaio's tactics, which he says are necessary to suppress crime, have made him wildly popular in Arizona. But the mass arrests have also resulted in an investigation by the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, lawsuits from civil rights lawyers and complaints even from longtime police supporters like Dan Magos.
The 64-year-old contractor was pulled over by a sheriff's deputy in December, purportedly for not having a license plate on the trailer affixed to his pickup. Magos, a U.S. citizen since 1967, had a gun for protection inside his truck which is legal under Arizona law and had never been an issue before with police. He said the deputy made him wait 10 minutes before letting him go with the words: "I don't want you to think this has anything to do with racial profiling."
Magos didn't believe him. "I lost respect for the sheriff's office, for his deputies," said Magos, who describes himself as the sort of citizen who regularly calls police to report the slightest disorder in his foothill neighborhood. "He changed my view of myself. I always felt American, no hyphenation. Now he put the hyphen on."
Justice department cannot touch him, because the Federal Immigration law allows him to do it.

