ACLU sues Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio over immigration detention of citizens

October 7th, 2009 Arizona sheriff's immigration deal clears hurdlePHOENIX — County officials in Arizona have approved an agreement that would let 60 county jail officers continue to check on the immigration status of jail inmates. Wednesday's 3-2 vote by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors moves Sheriff Joe Arpaio a step closer to renewing a deal that grants special federal immigration powers to jail officers.

October 6th, 2009 Feds limit Arizona sheriff's immigration powersPHOENIX — An Arizona sheriff known for aggressively cracking down on illegal immigration has been stripped of some of his special power to enforce federal immigration law, and he claims the Obama administration is taking away his authority for political reasons. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, whose office faces racial profiling allegations over crime and immigration sweeps in some heavily Latino areas of metro Phoenix, said officials from Washington won't let him renew a deal that let his deputies make federal immigration arrests.

September 16th, 2009 ACLU settles suit over unsanitary immigrant centerLOS ANGELES — Federal immigration officials have settled a lawsuit that claimed suspected illegal immigrants were kept in "barbaric" conditions in a downtown Los Angeles detention center, civil rights groups announced Wednesday. The federal court agreement restricts detainees at the facility to 12 hours at a stretch except under unusual circumstances such as epidemics or natural disasters.

September 11th, 2009 ACLU sues Pittsburgh over G-20 protest permitsPITTSBURGH — The American Civil Liberties Union is suing Pittsburgh because it says the city is violating the civil rights of people who want to protest the Group of 20 summit. The ACLU sued Friday in federal court on behalf of six groups who say the city has failed to issue them protest permits.

August 14th, 2009 Arizona sheriff raids firm seeking illegal workersPHOENIX — An Arizona sheriff who has aggressively cracked down on illegal immigration sent deputies into a Phoenix paper plant where they arrested 44 employees suspected of identity theft or immigration violations. Sheriff Joe Arpaio says Thursday's raid on the Royal Paper Converting Co.

August 10th, 2009 A look at the US immigration detention systemU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement housed about 33,345 people per night in July at facilities across the country.

August 8th, 2009 Correction: Immigration-Detention Conditions storyWASHINGTON — In an Aug. 6 story about planned changes by the Obama administration to immigration detention, The Associated Press reported erroneously that entering the country illegally the first time is a civil violation.

July 31st, 2009 Arizona sheriff balks at feds' enforcement changePHOENIX — The self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff in America" has never gotten so much resistance from the federal government. The Homeland Security Department wants Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz., to stop arresting illegal immigrants whose only crime was crossing the U.S.-Mexico border without documents.

July 28th, 2009 Immigration detention falls short of standardsLOS ANGELES — Immigrant advocates say the federal government has failed to meet its own standards for detaining immigrants, making it difficult for immigrants to defend themselves in court and fight to remain in the country. A report released Tuesday says detainees face limited access to phones, mail and law libraries in violation of federal standards.

July 27th, 2009 Crime sweep southeast of Phoenix nets 72 arrestsPHOENIX — The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office arrested 72 people during a three-day crime sweep in Chandler and Queen Creek southeast of Phoenix. Sheriff Joe Arpaio says the operation started as an attempt to control illegal immigration, but new federal guidelines prevent deputies from arresting illegal immigrants solely for being in the U.S.

July 10th, 2009 Homeland unveils immigration enforcement planWASHINGTON — An overhauled federal program allowing local and state law enforcement officials to arrest and deport immigrants will focus on the most serious criminals and limit officers' police powers, the Homeland Security Department said Friday. The agency reworked the program, which had been criticized by the Government Accountability Office and led to a Justice Department investigation of the Maricopa County, Ariz., sheriff's office.

June 19th, 2009 Sharpton in Arizona to discuss alleged profilingPHOENIX — The Rev. Al Sharpton is calling on the public to videotape alleged racial profiling by the office of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio (ahr-PEYE'-oh.) Sharpton says the videos will help the Justice Department in an investigation of alleged civil rights abuses.

June 19th, 2009 Sharpton seeks help in Ariz. sheriff's abuse probePHOENIX — The Rev.

June 13th, 2009 Sheriff: Arizona home invaders wanted all deadTUCSON, Ariz. — Two of three people arrested in a fatal southern Arizona home invasion had connections to a Washington state anti-illegal immigration group that conducts border watch activities in Arizona.

June 3rd, 2009 Ariz. sheriff under scrutiny wants tables turnedPHOENIX — A lawyer for an Arizona sheriff who has aggressively cracked down on illegal immigration has asked for a probe of federal officials who are investigating the sheriff's office for alleged discrimination and unconstitutional searches. Robert Driscoll, a lawyer for Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, said in a letter that Department of Justice investigators conducting the civil rights probe improperly shared documents with the Department of Homeland Security, which is auditing Arpaio's use of federal immigration powers.