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

More problems for Sheriff Joe: A former undocumented worker is accusing the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office of negligence and mistreatment in a federal suit.

February 21, 2010 |
Alejandra Alvarez

PHOENIX, Arizona – Celia Alejandra Alvarez, a former undocumented worker detained in a workplace raid, is accusing the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office of negligence and mistreatment in a federal lawsuit. The lawsuit joins a long list of legal actions against Sheriff Joe Arpaio –currently under a criminal grand jury investigation for abuse of power– and comes less than a week after he defiantly announced he will train 881 of his deputies to enforce immigration laws.

Alvarez’s attorneys filed the case before the U.S. District Court of Arizona on February 11. That was exactly a year after she was arrested with 60 co-workers at landscaping contractor Handyman Maintenance Inc. (HMI) for working with false documents.

“I’m not interested in the money I could get out of this,â€