DOJ Asks Sheriff Arpaio for His Papers

by Prerna Lal · 2010-09-03 16:00:00 +1000
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Hey Sheriff Arpaio, ever hear the phrase "illegal is illegal?"

Guess what? It applies to you as well.

The Department of Justice has just sued Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio for not cooperating with investigation of claims that his office has engaged in practices discriminatory to Hispanics. Since Arpaio is a fan of asking immigrants for their papers, it is not unreasonable to expect the Sheriff to show his own "papers," or records of accountability to his supervisors, and especially since his office gets federal funding, which subjects him to investigations under Title VI and compliance reviews.

Apparently, the Maricopa County sheriff has repeatedly refused to comply with requests for information, which is a violation of law. “The actions of the sheriff's office are unprecedented. It is unfortunate that the department was forced to resort to litigation to gain access to public documents and facilities,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.

No other law enforcement agency has refused to cooperate with a civil rights investigation in the past 30 years.

After the jump you can see the text of the complaint filed by the DOJ office.

US v MCSO Complaint

The Justice Department’s investigation of MCSO concerns alleged discrimination against Hispanics, in violation of the prohibition on national origin discrimination in Title VI; the pattern or practice provisions of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968; and the pattern or practice provisions of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. Title VI prohibits discrimination in federally assisted programs on the ground of race, color, or national origin.

Subjectively, it is one thing for immigrants to knowingly or unknowingly break complicated immigration laws. We have a bigger problem on our hands when those who have been entrusted with the responsibility to enforce legal statutes go about not only breaking them, but arguing that the law does not apply to them.

No one is above the law. If we are going to put non-violent, non-criminal undocumented immigrants in detention centers for mere civil violations, why is Sheriff Joe Arpaio not in prison yet for obstructing a federal investigation?

Credit: DreamActivist / MaverickLal101

Prerna Lal is co-founder and Online Coordinator of DreamActivist and a board member of Immigration Equality. She is currently attending George Washington University Law School.
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