Tag: Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Napolitano: White House to Push Immigration Reform “Until We Get it Over the Finish Line”

The Obama administration will continue to push for immigration reform until it’s done, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said Thursday, according to local media.

Immigration Reform Caravan Leaves for D.C. to Show Plight of the Undocumented in Arizona

Dozens of human rights activists set out in a caravan from Phoenix to Washington D.C. to call attention to the criminalization of immigrants in Arizona.

Immigrant Detained in Raid Sues Arizona Sheriff Arpaio’s Office for Mistreatment

A former undocumented worker detained in a workplace raid is accusing Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office of negligence and mistreatment in a federal lawsuit.

Arizona March for Immigrant Rights Draws National Support

Pro-immigrant and civil rights groups from across the country will march in Phoenix this Saturday to denounce what they call the criminalization of undocumented immigrants in the area.

Federal Grand Jury Investigating Arizona Sheriff at the Forefront of Immigration Enforcement

A federal grand jury is investigating the office of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio over allegations of abuse of power. He has been accused of racial profiling and has allegedly launched investigations against political rivals.

The Year in Review: Arizona Immigrants Face New Year With Old Fears

For Arizona immigrants 2009 was the year of raids in workplaces, traffic stops that led to deportations and reports of violations of human and civil rights.

Stories

Pro-Immigrant Protesters and Hispanic Media Confront Sheriff Arpaio in Southern California

Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona was clearly enjoying his starring role at a series of fundraisers last week in Southern California.

The sheriff, known for his aggressive tactics against undocumented immigrants in and around Phoenix, happily chatted with reporters — even the citizen reporters that were part of a protest against him –at an event on Thursday in Anaheim, Orange County before heading to Mission Bay, San Diego, for a second fundraiser.

The self-described “toughest sheriff in the country” came to California to support an underdog sheriff´s candidate: Bill Hunt in Orange County. On Friday, he did the same for Jay La Sur in San Diego County in a move that is certain to bring the immigration issue to the fore in those races, both to be decided next year.

Watch Pilar Marrero’s video of Sheriff Arpaio’s visit to Anaheim, California.

At first, Arpaio seemed irritated by the protests that awaited him as he arrived at the event in Anaheim. But then he seemed to relish the opportunity to face the cameras in California as he often does in Arizona. “Why are they always following me? When I went to the O’Brien show and the Colbert show in New York they were there too,” he said to puzzled reporters who were asking him about his controversial law enforcement policies. (more…)

After Arpaio is Stripped of Immigration Powers, Conservatives Counter With A New Anti-Immigrant Bill

Workers are marched out of a carwash during Sheriff Arpaio's latest immigration raid - Photo: José Muñoz.

Workers are marched out of a carwash during Sheriff Arpaio's latest immigration raid. (Photo: www.PhotosByJoseMunoz.com)

PHOENIX, Arizona — After the recent decision by federal authorities to limit the power of Maricopa County sheriff ‘s deputies to enforce U.S. immigration laws, Arizona lawmakers are renewing a push to grant local police the ability to detain and question suspected undocumented immigrants.

A campaign in favor of the “Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act” was launched after last week’s announcement that Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio had his powers limited by federal immigration authorities.

Arpaio had one of the largest forces in the nation deputized to enforce immigration laws on the streets and in county jails under an agreement known as 287 (g). But John Morton, assistant secretary of Homeland Security, said Arpaio’s sweeps were not consistent with the program’s new priorities. Under a revised 287 (g) agreement Arpaio’s enforcement powers are limited to the county jails. He can no longer conduct traffic stops in search of undocumented immigrants under the program.

(more…)

AudioStories

Reporter's Notebook: Behind the Headlines About Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Immigration Sweeps

This week the public radio program Making Contact features a story by Feet in Two Worlds reporter Valeria Fernández about the impact of an immigration raid on a family in Phoenix, Arizona. Valeria wrote the following reporter’s notebook about her experiences covering this story. You can listen to the story pressing “play” below or to find a station near you that carries the program click here.

[audio:http://media.libsyn.com/media/radioproject/MakingCon_091021_Ax.mp3]
Sandra hugs her daughter Katherine, her mother Mercedes and her sister Griselda after being released by Customs and Immigration Enforcement.

Sandra hugs her daughter Katherine, her mother Mercedes and her sister Griselda after being released by Customs and Immigration Enforcement. (Photo: V. Fernández - Click for more.)

PHOENIX, Arizona — When I arrived at Katherine Figueroa’s house, it had only been two days since her parents –both undocumented immigrants– were arrested during a raid by Maricopa County sheriff’s deputies at the Phoenix car wash where they both worked.

Kathy is an outspoken 9-year-old who makes friends easily. She welcomes people with her easy smile, even those she has just met. She was born in the U.S. and like many children of undocumented parents she has lived in constant fear that her parents could be deported.

I knew this wasn’t going to be an ordinary story. It was going to be one I would follow for months, and very closely every week.

It’s the story behind news reports that people in the Phoenix area have grown accustomed to: another sweep, another immigration raid in Maricopa County. It is about what happens to communities and families impacted by a crackdown that has made Arizona ground zero in a divisive national debate over immigration.

(more…)

AudioStories

A Rogue Sheriff Roams in Arizona: FI2W’s Valeria Fernández on The Takeaway

Arpaio has been a controversial figure in Phoenix and in the immigration debate.

Arpaio has been a controversial figure in Phoenix and in the immigration debate. Pictured is a demonstration in June 2009.

FI2W reporter Valeria Fernández was interviewed this morning on public radio’s The Takeaway to talk about an announced immigration raid by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

“There’s no federal law that gives him the authority to do these immigration sweeps, but he says that he can do it,” Valeria said during her conversation with The Takeaway’s Celeste Headlee and John Hockenberry, in which she explained the sheriff’s controversial tactics to detain undocumented immigrants in the Phoenix area.

You can listen to the interview below and you can visit the show’s story “A Rogue Sheriff Roams in Arizona.”

[audio:http://audio.wnyc.org/takeaway/takeaway101609j.mp3]