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DOJ strips Arizona's Sheriff Joe Arpaio of immigration powers

December 16, 2011 (1 min read)

The top immigration news on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011 was the Justice Department's dramatic takedown of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.  Here are your must-read blurbs and links:

"[W]e have peeled the onion to its core, and earlier today, we shared our findings with MCSO.   As outlined in our findings letter, we found reasonable cause to believe that MCSO engages in a pattern or practice of violating the Constitution and laws of the United States in 3 areas.  First, we found that MCSO engages in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional policing; specifically, MCSO engages in racial profiling of Latinos, and unlawfully stops, detains and arrests Latinos.  Second, we found that MCSO unlawfully retaliates against people who criticize its policies and practices.  Third, we found reasonable cause to believe that MCSO operates its jails in a manner that discriminates against Latino inmates that are limited English proficient.   We find that MCSO routinely punishes Latino inmates that are limited English proficient when they fail to understand commands given in English, and denies critical services that are provided to other inmates.   These actions violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964." - DOJ, Dec. 15, 2011.
 
"DHS is terminating MCSO’s 287(g) jail model agreement and is restricting the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office access to the Secure Communities program." - DHS, Dec. 15, 2011.
 
ICE is "Withdrawing any immigration detainees from facilities operated by MCSO" - ICE, Dec. 15, 2011.
 
"This is where the Michelin meets the blacktop. The announcement represents an immediate, tangible fallout from Arpaio's racial-profiling ways." - Stephen Lemons, Dec. 15, 2011.

"Arpaio struck a defiant tone at a Thursday afternoon news conference in response to the report, which he called a politically motivated attack by the Obama administration that will make Arizona unsafe. "Don't come here and use me as the whipping boy for a national and international problem," he said." - MSNBC, Associated Press, Dec. 15, 2011.