Investigators looking into the charges said they found “insufficient
evidence of criminal intent,” and Arpaio responded to the findings by
saying he “never had any doubt” and thanking the federal government for
its work in the inquiry.
The Sheriff currently faces a similar civil-rights lawsuit, with
advocacy organizations alleging that Arpaio targeted Latinos in raids
and other actions carried out by his deputies. The ruling in that
lawsuit is still pending.
Liberal minorities here don't like to be reminded of this, but the facts show that illegal immigrants are not only a huge burden to taxpayers, but to people seeking work as well. And what with the national unemployment rate for blacks and hispanics remaining double that of the national rate (partly because we have a far-Left POTUS who cares more about "gay rights" than the bleak issues facing a huge electorate who helped vote him into office circa 2008), the last thing American minorities need are weak law enforcement departments who turn a blind eye to illegal immigration. Any wonder a guy like Sheriff Joe Arpaio, for daring to have the guts to do his job...and be proud of it, must be stopped at all costs by Obama and his pals on the Left:
The Obama administration announced Thursday that it is suing Arizona
sheriff Joe Arpaio, accusing him and his Maricopa County office of
engaging in a pattern of discrimination against Latinos.
The announcement by Justice Department officials came after months of
negotiations failed to yield an agreement to settle claims that his
department racially profiled Latinos in his trademark immigration
patrols. Arpaio defended himself in response, claiming the federal
government is trying to tell him how to run his office.
Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez, at a press conference
Thursday, described this as an abuse of power case. He accused the
sheriff of scuttling negotiations by refusing to allow independent
monitors.
The Department of Justice lawsuit marked an escalation in the
agency's civil rights investigation of Arpaio and puts the dispute on
track to be decided by a federal judge.
The DOJ first leveled the allegations against Arpaio in December,
saying that a culture of disregard for basic constitutional rights
prevailed at the Maricopa County sheriff's office, which covers metro
Phoenix. Federal officials held off on filing a lawsuit as they tried to
reach a settlement, but talks broke off last month.
At the time, Arpaio refused to agree to a court-appointed monitor who
would help enforce a settlement. Arpaio said it would mean every policy
decision would have to be cleared through an observer and would nullify
his authority.
At a news conference Wednesday, after DOJ officials notified him of their intent to sue, Arpaio defended himself.
"If they sue, we'll go to court," he said. "And then we'll find out
the real story. They're telling me how to run my organization. I'd like
to get this resolved, but I'm not going to give up my authority to the
federal government. It's as simple as that."
Justice Department civil rights lawyers filed suit against Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona on Thursday after talks collapsed on a deal to provide federal investigators with documents they requested.
The suit, filed in federal court in Phoenix, Arizona, claims the Maricopa County sheriff has failed to cooperate with the investigation into alleged discrimination against Hispanics by Arpaio's law enforcement officials.
The Justice Department expressed dismay at the sheriff's office's "refusal to cooperate with the investigation."
"The actions of the sheriff's office are unprecedented," said Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez, chief of the Civil Rights Division. "It is unfortunate that the (Justice) Department was forced to resort to litigation to gain access to public documents and facilities."
The federal action became virtually certain after the sheriff's office last Friday rejected the government's demands in an open letter posted on the county's website.
In the letter, Arpaio's attorney, Robert Driscoll, wrote that the Justice Department's "current position that it is entitled to any document it wants, to access any facility it wishes, and to interview any witness it wants, without limitation ... is simply unreasonable."
At a news conference Thursday Arpaio struck a defiant tone.
"It's rather disgusting saying we don't cooperate when we are," the sheriff insisted. "A year and a half they've been investigating me on alleged racial profiling on the streets. They can't get the proof so now they're suing me, just for documents."
Barry's radically leftwing administration is on the side of illegal immigrants instead of our brave police officers, still wondering why Barry gets more and more unpopular with each passing day?
Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the controversial top cop in Maricopa County, Ariz., tells Newsmax he will jail any protesters who attempt to block his jail on Thursday when provisions of his state’s tough new immigration law take effect.
Arpaio also says it’s “great” if undocumented aliens react to the new law and his strict anti-illegal immigration agenda by moving back to Mexico or to the “sanctuary state” of California, and challenges President Barack Obama to invite him to the White House for a “wine summit” to discuss illegal immigration.
Arpaio, whose county includes most of the Phoenix metropolitan area, promotes himself as “America’s toughest sheriff.” He has limited county inmates to two meals a day, banned “sexually explicit material” in prison, reinstituted chain gangs, and set up a “tent city” as an extension of the Maricopa County Jail.
On Wednesday a judge blocked the most controversial sections of Arizona's new law and put them on hold. The law will still take effect on Thursday, but without some of the provisions that angered opponents — including sections that required officers to check a person's immigration status while enforcing other laws.
Nevertheless there are reports that opponents of the new law plan to block Arpaio’s jail on Thursday in an act of civil disobedience.
“There’s a rumor that they’re going to block our jails down the street,” Arpaio says in an exclusive Newsmax interview.
“You know what? They’re not going to block our jails. They’re going into the jail if they block our jail. I’m not going to succumb to these demonstrators keeping law enforcement from booking people in our jail. So we may have to take some action.”
Arizona lawmakers on Tuesday passed one of the toughest pieces of immigration-enforcement legislation in the country, which would make it a violation of state law to be in the U.S. without proper documentation.
It would also grant police the power to stop and verify the immigration status of anyone they suspect of being illegal.
The bill could still face a veto from Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer. A spokesman for Ms. Brewer said she has not publicly commented on the bill. Ms. Brewer, a Republican, has argued for stringent immigration laws.
Under the measure, passed Tuesday by Arizona's lower house, after being passed earlier by the state Senate, foreign nationals are required to carry proof of legal residency.
Student of Life, lover of God, Black, conservative Democrat, believer in self-responsibility, traditional values and morals, resident of New York City. Follow me on Twitter at @MrGreyGhost1.
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