District Judge: Sheriff Joe Racially Profiled Latinos

U.S. District Court Judge Murray Snow ruled Friday that Arizona’s Sheriff Joe Arpaio violated the constitutional rights of Hispanics in his crusade against illegal immigration.

According to Reuters, Snow said Arpaio has to stop “using race as a grounds to stop, detain or hold occupants of vehicles” in crime sweeps referred to as “saturation patrols.”

Snow said such patrols “incorporated race as a consideration into [the] operations,” and this impacted which drivers deputies would or would not pull over. 

The suit against Arpaio was brought “by five Hispanic drivers who say they were stopped by deputies because of their ethnicity.” Arpario denied that this happened or that he or his office racially profiled anybody. 

Arpaio insited he is “against racial profiling,” and he “denied his office has ever arrested people because of the color of their skin.”