Fox News Latino, 7/19/12
Maricopa Sheriff Joe Arpaio is scheduled to face trail Thursday over allegations that he systematically discriminated against Latinos and illegally usurped federal authority during years of sweeps aimed at rounding up undocumented immigrants.
The lawsuit, Melendres v. Arpaio, alleges that Arpaio’s office and his volunteer posses target people who look Latino to check their immigration status, and stop Latinos more frequently and for longer durations than non-Latinos…
Arpaio, the country’s self-proclaimed toughest sheriff, denies his office discriminates against Latinos.
“This office aggressively enforces all local, state and federal laws in order to combat the growing illegal immigration epidemic in Maricopa County,” Arpaio’s office says in a statement on its website. “Deputy sheriffs are specifically trained to identify indicators that a person or persons might be in this country illegally without violating their constitutional rights.”
