The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit today against Sheriff Joe Arpaio (Maricopa County, AZ), which would force Arpaio to turn over documents he has withheld from federal investigators for more than a year.
Angela M. Kelley, Vice President of Immigration Policy and Advocacy at the Center for American Progress, has the following statement on this development:
“The maverick sheriff, who justifies abusive immigration sweeps as simply enforcing the law, has himself refused to abide by the law and release documents related to a federal probe into allegations that the sheriff and his department have engaged in widespread civil rights violations.
“A badge must not be used as a shield by a capricious sheriff who acts as if the laws apply to everyone but himself. For too long, Arpaio’s media-hungry actions have gone unchecked as he has violated civil rights and terrified foreign-born and native-born residents alike.
“The Justice Department is right to demand accountability from this sheriff and complete the federal investigation into his behavior. The federal government must not allow Arpaio and others like him to run amok and put a stain on the vast majority of incredibly dedicated, hard-working law enforcement officers in this country.”
Click here for a review of Sheriff Arpaio’s record.
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