Thread: Arpaio resignation demanded by Latino leaders

azcentral.com
by Hayley Ringle
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 27, 2011 12:00 AM

Local Latino community leaders and activists called for the resignation of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Monday and asked that his officers change their tactics and stop what they call racial profiling.

Antonio Bustamante, a civil-rights attorney and director of Los Abogados, Arizona's Hispanic Bar Association, said federal Judge Murray Snow's ruling Friday is "monumentally important" because it confirms that officers are not authorized to pull anyone over if they think they are in the country illegally.

"Mere presence is not a crime," said Bustamante, who sat at a long table inside El Portal, a downtown Phoenix Mexican restaurant.

Snow's ruling will curtail the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office's ability to target illegal immigrants. It also gives thousands of Hispanics standing in a civil lawsuit that seeks to alter Arpaio's immigration-enforcement efforts.

Arpaio was traveling Monday and wasn't able to comment, said a spokesman.

Arpaio's attorney said last week that he plans to appeal the injunction and that deputies will comply with the ruling while continuing to enforce immigration-related laws.

The group of Latino community leaders and activists gathered to herald the ruling, which gives every Latino stopped, questioned or detained by the Sheriff's Office since January 2007 standing in the 4-year-old civil-rights lawsuit.

The judge's ruling also bars all sheriff's officers from arresting any person "only on knowledge or reasonable belief, without more, that the person is unlawfully present within the United States."

Daniel Ortega, a Phoenix attorney who is board chair of the National Council of La Raza, said the ruling is about the protection of constitutional rights.

"It's the right to be free," said Ortega, who spoke in front of a painting of Martin Luther King Jr.

"Those of us who were U.S. residents were subject to his (Arpaio's) illegal searches."

Ortega said Snow's ruling meant that it has "snowed on Sheriff's Arpaio's racial-profiling parade."

Lydia Guzman, executive director of the non-profit immigrant advocacy group Respect Respeto, said her group will continue to document stories such as those who said they were handcuffed for hours until they proved they were in the country legally.

"Sheriff Arpaio, we are watching you," Guzman said.

State Sen. Steve Gallardo, D-Phoenix, said Arpaio has "done more damage" to the state than any other lawmaker and that Arpaio has "violated" the rights of many for "much too long."

Gallardo asked that anyone who has been "violated" by Arpaio and his officers to stand up and tell their story.

Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox said the "bottom line" is "things have to change."

"Latinos will not be treated as second-class citizens," said Wilcox, who co-owns El Portal restaurant with her husband, Earl.

She said Arpaio's "violations" could have "tremendous consequences" on an estimated $150 million in federal money the state receives.

Wilcox will ask the Board of Supervisors to hold an executive session to seek advice from lawyers on what can be done so this federal money is not "jeopardized."

"If Sheriff Arpaio doesn't change, he must step down," Wilcox said. "We will not stand for racial profiling."

Arpaio has until Jan. 4 to submit a plan on how he will comply with the federal government.

Republic reporter JJ Hensley contributed to this article.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...#ixzz1hk8SuV5I

What a bunch of Winers! Oh, Wilcox, I am sending a email to all my friends in Arizona who may know of your trash pit called El Portal so that they never eat there! These people just want slave labor and should be shown for just that! SLAVE MASTERS!

Shame on them.

Arpaio is an ELECTED official, so obviously his LEGAL constituents feel he's doing the right thing! Year after year after year they vote him in, so the illegals and their abetters should STFU in my opinion....

Anyone else fed up with one group of people that set themselves apart based on their suppossed racial differences and skin color and form political coalitions based on ethnicity and press for favoritism under the law?

joe.
don't back down stand your ground boy I love to see you President you have every one on his or her toe. you would save our country
I would also love to 1Joe 2 trump 3Gov jan 4 Mr william 5 Bachmann
I would vote for them they are for Our Country & they are Not a two face like. all of the other's
No amnesty or dream act

Racial Profiling when exactly did illegal immigrants become a race?

Originally Posted by stevetheroofer

Racial Profiling when exactly did illegal immigrants become a race?

The latino community leaders and activists have tried as hard as they can to make them into a race and to try to make us think anyone against illegal immigration is against all people with brown skin. They also want us to think latino illegals are special and should be put in front of the line of all other illegals that aren't latinys. In reality they are just a bunch of race baiting OBLS.

Originally Posted by stevetheroofer

Racial Profiling when exactly did illegal immigrants become a race?

The day foreign nationals decided they wanted to take over our country and decided foreign Latinos were the avenue by which to do so.

It's way past time for Americans of Hispanic descent to stand with their fellow Americans and fight this illegal immigration tooth and nail. We want our country back for all Americans, no matter what our race, ancestral language, national origin or ethnicity.

"Latinos will not be treated as second-class citizens," said Wilcox, who co-owns El Portal restaurant with her husband, Earl.

Uh, Ms. Wilcox, if you're referring to illegals, they're NOT citizens, first, second or third.

Guess he TOLD THEM..! Joe likes a good fight.(obviously) Damn.. we're up against the full power and recourses of the Federal government and all they can find are crumbs. In a war (against illegal aliens) of this magnitude. A few hurt feelings.
Yet the TSA can feel you, your child, or grandma up at the airport. As long as their last names are Smith, and not Habib.

We can't put up with this..God Bless Arpaio. I don't know how he does it day after day. What an inspiration....