Joe Arpaio Faces Justice Department Lawsuit Over Allegations Of Civil Rights Violations

arpaioFederal authorities sued America’s self-proclaimed toughest sheriff Thursday, a rare step after months of negotiations failed to yield an agreement to settle allegations that his department racially profiled Latinos in his trademark immigration patrols.

The U.S. Department of Justice officials said the agency filed a lawsuit only once before in the 18-year history of its police reform work. The lawsuit escalates the standoff with Sheriff Joe Arpaio and puts the dispute on track to be decided by a federal judge.

Grammy Nominated Chilean MC, Ana Tijoux, to Perform Women in Resistance AltoArizona Concert with Puente & NDLON

Powerhouse Hip-Hop Star Headlines Mothers’ Day Concert for Human Rights

What: Women in Resistance AltoArizona Hip-Hop Concert with Ana Tijoux, Cihuatl Ce, and all Female Mariachi

Where: Puente Movement Office. 1306 E Van Buren. Phoenix, AZ. 
When: 6:00pm – 10:00pm, May 13, 2012.

Cost: $5 Donation

May 04, 2012. Phoenix, AZ – South American Hip-Hop star and Grammy-nominated artist, Ana Tijoux, will perform a Women in Resistance AltoArizona concert with Puente and NDLON to protest anti-immigrant policies in Arizona and to honor mothers who are part of the powerful human rights movement in the state. 

The rising star will offer the donation-based concert as part of her fourth US tour. She will be joined by local act Cihuatl Ce. 

The daughter of Chilean exiles who fled Pinochet’s dictatorship, Tijoux relates personally to the situation in Maricopa County. The concert is the next in the AltoArizona series hosted by Puente Arizona and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network after September’s Manu Chao performance.

DOJ Suit Highlights Agency Battle with DHS Over Arizona Policy, President Must Take Responsibility

05.10.2012 Washington, DC. In response to the Department of Justice announcement that it will be suing Sheriff Arpaio of Maricopa County in its civil rights case against him, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network released the following statements,

Chris Newman, legal director states, “It is very clear a dispute has broken out between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, and it’s forcing a dilemma for the White House. The DOJ is arriving late to a civil rights crime scene caused in large part by the Department of Homeland Security.  Janet Napolitano got Arpaio his immigration badge when she was Governor, and rather than correct her mistake as Secretary of DHS, she chose to create more Arpaio’s by expanding the dangerous “Se Communities” (SCOMM) program throughout the country.  

Puente Calls for Immediate Federal Action, Shut Off S-Comm in State, as DOJ Arpaio Case Heads to Court

05.10.2012 Phoenix, AZ. In response to the DOJ announcement that it will be suing Sheriff Arpaio after negotiations in its civil rights case failed and the Sheriff’s subsequent promise to appeal in what will be lengthy court proceedings, Carlos Garcia of Puente Arizona released the following statement: “While suing and investigating the Sheriff’s office, the federal government should end its own role in…

Mere Tinkering With a Bad Program, S-Comm – NYTimes

The Obama administration announced last month plans to repair Se Communities, the program that compels state and local police to join its wide and expanding hunt for illegal immigrants. From now on, when illegal immigrants are stopped for traffic violations by local police, Immigration and Customs Enforcement will consider detaining and deporting them only after they have been convicted, not before. In theory, this minor policy shift could reduce the number of people arrested on a pretext and held for deportation. But that’s unlikely. And it doesn’t fix the fundamental flaws in a discredited program. The administration has faced fierce criticism from law-enforcement officials and immigrant advocates for ensnaring far too many minor offenders and noncriminals as it has rapidly expanded Se Communities and ramped up deportations to a record pace of 400,000 a year. It contends that most are criminals, though that still includes many minor offenders.

Disappointingly Little Changes After ICE Review of Se Communities, Say Advocates

A tweak to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Se Communities program, order also known as S-Comm, would allow the agency to withhold placing undocumented immigrants stopped by local law enforcement for traffic violations into deportation proceedings until “conviction for the minor criminal traffic offense.” But the change, introduced following a task force report that recommended changes to S-Comm, still means that undocumented immigrants are at risk for being deported for missing a traffic light or speeding. So what has really changed in the policy? Disappointingly little, say advocates. “The ICE announcement was a real disappointment,” said Fred Tsao, policy director with the Illinois Coalition for Immigration and Refugee Rights (ICIRR). “This is a program is in dire need of being fixed and what we ended up getting was a very, very minor change that may affect some cases but falls far short of the real reforms that the program needs.”