U.S. Department Of Justice

Posts Tagged ‘U.S. Department of Justice’

DOJ Puts Sheriff Arpaio on Notice. Who Will Put the DOJ on Notice?

11:02 am By Maegan La Mala · Justice|U.S.-Mexico Border · No Comments

11 May 2012

The US Department of Justice is attempting to position itself as tough on racial profiling and violations.

While its arguments in front of the Supreme Court last week against parts of Arizona’s SB1070 were more about asserting the DOJ’s power to enforce immigration laws than insuring the rights of others, especially Latinos, race and ethnicity was an unspoken subtext.
Most recently the U.S. Justice Department kept the pressure on Arizona by targeting Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Following a breakdown in negotiations pushing for his police department to be monitored because of racial profiling allegations, yesterday the department announced its intent to sue. The DOJ is seeking to federally monitor Arpaio’s practices including targeting Latinos (or those perceived as Latinos) for unjustified traffic stops and arrests and prioritizing low level immigration offenses over investigating a backlog of sexual assault cases.

While federal oversight of Arpaio’s office is long overdue (just do a search with Arpaio’s name in our own search box to see for yourself), the question that remains unanswered is how to we get the Federal Justice Department to monitor themselves?

So far the Federal Justice Department has refused to investigate the death of Anastasio Hernández-Rojas or any other death that has occurred on the U.S. Mexican border at the hands of Border Patrol. Some organizations, politicians like Senator Robert Menendez, Reps. Raul Grijalva, Xavier Becerra, Jared Polis and Lucille Roybal-Allard, and individuals are putting pressure on Attorney General Eric holder to open an investigation of all killings committed by the Border Patrol since 2010. Yesterday the American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security also demanding an investigation into border patrol related deaths.

If the Department of Justice is interested in doing more than just flexing it’s muscle to show states Federal supremacy, than it needs to take a look at how the U.S. Border Patrol treats both U.S. and Mexican citizens like Anastasio. Otherwise it’s hard to believe that Eric Holder is interested in anything resembling justice.

U.S. Justice Department Investigates Southern Cali City for Targeting Latinos

6:12 am By Maegan La Mala · California|Immigration|Justice · Comments Off

11 Sep 2010

Early this year we told you about how law enforcement in parts of California were setting up sobriety checkpoints that seemed to be more about racial profiling than public safety.

Yesterday, the U.S. Justice Department launched an investigation targeting the Southern California City of Bell. The investigation will determine whether city officials violated civil rights of Latino residents by aggressively towing cars and charging residents exorbitant fees to get their vehicles back.

From Southern California Public Radio:

Some Bell residents have complained police officers pulled over motorists and towed their vehicles if the drivers didn’t have licenses. Bell has a large immigrant population, as well as many illegal immigrants.

Image Via / by ChrisDag

U.S. Dept. of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Sheriff Joe Arpaio

1:00 pm By Maegan La Mala · arizona|Immigration|Women · Comments Off

3 Sep 2010

Yesterday morning, the United States Department of Justice announced the filing of a lawsuit against Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio over his refusal to cooperate with a federal civil rights investigation by refusing to turn over requested documents for a year and a half.

America’s Voice has done a great job of researching and compiling his numerous civil rights violations and how ineffective they are in the context of “serve and protect”.

INEFFECTIVE TACTICS

* Violent Crime Rates Rise Under Arpaio, Fall in Rest of Arizona
* Under Arpaio, 911 Response Time Increased, Arrest Rates Decreased
* Arpaio Admits He Arrests ”Very Few” Non-Hispanics
* Over 40,000 Un-served Felony Warrants
* Conservative Think Tank Report: Arpaio’s Policies are Ineffective, Harmful, and a Waste of Millions of Taxpayer Dollars
* Mesa Police Chief: Arpaio’s Approach Hurts Community Safety

OPERATING ABOVE THE LAW

* Arpaio Under Investigation by the U.S. Justice Department for Civil Rights Abuses
* Arpaio Under FBI Investigation for Using his Power to Intimidate Political Opponents
* Judge Says Conditions in Arpaio’s Jails “Violate the Constitution”
* 2,700 Lawsuits Filed Against Arpaio
* Federal Officials Take Away Arpaio’s Deputies’ Authority to Make Immigration Arrests, Arpaio Vows to Defy the Restriction
* Arpaio Threatens Attorneys with Criminal Charges for Criticizing Him
* Department of Labor Investigates Arpaio, Finds He Owes Employees $2M in Unpaid Overtime
* Arpaio Suspected of Misspending $50M in Taxpayer Funds, Refuses to Turn Over Records
* Advocates Awarded $475,000 for Civil Rights Violations by Arpaio Deputies
* Arpaio Stages Phony Murder Plot Against Himself, Accused Released for Wrongful Imprisnment, County Pays Over $1 Million to Settle

INSPIRING TERROR IN LATINO COMMUNITIES

* Arpaio Marches Immigrants in Shackles to Tent City Surrounded by Electric Fence
* Arpaio Separates Mother from Kids for Unpaid Traffic Ticket
* Arpaio Conducts “Crime Suppression” Sweeps in Latino Communities
* Arpaio Forces Mother to Give Birth while Handcuffed to Bed
* Arpaio’s Deputies Deploy Heavy Duty Machine Guns

Sheriff Joe Arpaio Officially Under DOJ Investigation

2:39 pm By Maegan la Mamita Mala · arizona|Immigration|Justice · 3 Comments

11 Mar 2009

aleqm5ju_4eh4du9r9t5xsbw7sy6wydiea It’s about time! Arizona’s Maricopa County’s Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been officially put on notice, on notice that his actions and the actions conducted in the police department he ran are under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.

From Latino Politico:

The U.S. Justice Department has launched a civil-rights investigation of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office after months of mounting complaints that deputies are discriminating in their enforcement of federal immigration laws.

Officials from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division notified Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Tuesday that they had begun the investigation, which will focus on whether deputies are engaging in “patterns or practices of discriminatory police practices and unconstitutional searches and seizures.”
An expert said it is the department’s first civil-rights probe related to immigration enforcement.

One of the things that can happen in such an investigation is that the police department can be put under the guidance of the Department of Justice until certain changed are made.

Pero the investigation is just the start, it’s not a victory. We still need to put the pressure on the DOJ and the U.S. government as a whole so that we move away from enforcement first immigration policies to policies that put the human rights of people first.

Former Attorney General Gonzales Scolded, Can’t Remember the Combination to His Home Safe

3:07 pm By Maegan La Mala · Justice|Politics|Washington DC · Comments Off

2 Sep 2008

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is like that distant cousin who keep showing up at family parties and embarrassing you because he “represents” you. Today the U.S. Department of Justice released a report saying that Gonzales “mishandled” highly classified documents about an eavesdropping program and interrogating terror detainees.

Oh is that all?

The report says Gonzales failed to store the documents in proper secure facilities and at one point took them home. The report released Tuesday also says he stored them in his briefcase because he did not know the combination to the safe at his house.

Gonzales : A Regular Fix It Guy

8:37 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Politics · Comments Off

24 Jul 2007

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is just a good old fix it guy, vowing to stay in office to fix problems with the Justice Department. Gonzales acknowledged the Justice Department has been shaken by accusations that partisan politics played a role in hiring practices and the administration of justice.

“There are two options available in light of these allegations,” Gonzales said. “I could walk away or I could devote my time, effort and energy to fix the problems.”
“Since I have never been one to quit, I decided that the best course of action was to remain here and fix the problems.”

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