Arpaio invites lawmaker to visit

by JJ Hensley - Feb. 25, 2009 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

To Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, turnabout is fair play.

Ten days after a coalition of congressmen wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder calling for a federal investigation into Arpaio's practices, the sheriff responded with a letter of his own. He invited the chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., to tour Maricopa County facilities and go on patrol with the Human Smuggling Unit.

Some of that unit's work is tied to Arpaio's agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Lawmakers asked for the probe based on claims that deputies use skin color as a basis to launch into immigration-related questions; they also asked for the federal government to terminate ICE's agreements with local law-enforcement agencies if problems can't be addressed.

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