Back to News & Commentary

Sheriff Arpaio on the Stand

Cecillia Wang,
National Legal Director,
勛圖眻畦
Share This Page
July 25, 2012

U.S. citizens are entitled to equal protection under the law that is, unless you look Latino and live in Arizona under the rule of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

The nations self-proclaimed toughest sheriff took the stand in federal court Tuesday, answering hundreds of questions from our legal team and facing the human targets of his racial profiling policies. These victims -- the very people Arpaio is sworn to protect -- have spent years waiting for the day when the sheriff would be forced to explain his discriminatory practices in open court.

If youve been following the case, you know this trial is about vindicating the rights of Latinos in Maricopa County whove been illegally stopped and detained by Arpaio based solely on their race or ethnicity.

On Wednesday, Phoenix resident Daniel Magos testified about his experience of being pulled over by a deputy who ordered him and his wife out of their truck during a traffic stop and subjected him to a full pat-down search. The reason for the stop? Purportedly a missing license plate from a trailer attached to Mr. Magoss truck. No ticket was issued. Mr. Magos, a 67 year-old U.S. citizen and small business owner, broke down on the witness stand as he recalled how he felt: Humiliated. Worthless. Defenseless.

Arpaios racial profiling policies are illegal, impermissible under our Constitution and simply un-American. They violate core values of fairness and equality for all. These illegal practices have created fear throughout Latino communities because they cannot avoid being stopped on the basis of skin color.

On Tuesday, attorneys played numerous videos of Arpaio touting his enforcement strategies. They showed the Sheriff responding to charges of racial profiling by saying 99% of undocumented immigrants come from Mexico. He said it was an honor to be associated with the KKK. And he told one crowd of anti-immigrant activists, I have official reasons that he gives in court, and then he has my reasons.

As court observers have seen during this trial, the 勛圖眻畦 is presenting evidence uncovered during the past four years to prove that Arpaio has systematically violated the rights of Latino residents in the name of immigration enforcement. It is time for these discriminatory practices to end.

Learn more about racial profiling: Sign up for breaking news alerts, , and .

Learn More 勛圖眻畦 the Issues on This Page