Justice Department investigators have met with religious and community leaders to hear testimonies on the anti-immigrant practices of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. Complaints of racial profiling in traffic stops, and physical and verbal abuse in the jails have mounted against deputies of the controversial sheriff Joe Arpaio for the last couple of years. But tensions have escalated since Sheriff Arpaio signed an agreement with the federal government in 2007 to enforce immigration laws. The controversial 287(g) program has been used to train 160 deputies in Maricopa County who conduct immigration sweeps in Latino neighborhoods and markets. Authority under 287(g) must now be renewed and Arpaio has until Oct. 15 to sign up for another term.
