Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio sent a letter to civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton Monday. It states that the Reverend’s plan to lead a protest in June is a waste of time.
Last week, Reverend Sharpton and ACORN threatened to march in the streets of Phoenix if Sheriff Arpaio, who is currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), does not resign immediately.
Arpaio is under attack for his immigration enforcement tactics, charging that the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) engages in racial profiling, police brutality, and human rights violations.
Arpaio said if Reverend Sharpton bothered to research the facts, he would know there is no basis to Sharpton's publicity ploy.
These allegations come on the heels of an investigation of MCSO by the DOJ for alleged civil rights violations, primarily racial profiling.
Last week, local leaders testified before a Congressional committee about the 287(g) immigration enforcement program in which MCSO participates.
The 287(g) agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, allows the MCSO to investigate, apprehend, transport, and detain people who are living or working in the country without authorization.
It is through the 287(g), that the MCSO conducts employment raids, neighborhood sweeps, traffic stops, and investigations to crack down on illegal immigration and human trafficking in Maricopa County.
Critics say the neighborhood sweeps are only happening in areas where there is a concentration of color and that people of color are afraid to leave home without proof of citizenship.
According to a report in The Huffington Post, that while the MCSO has the largest unit of 287(g) trained officers, it is not the focus of the congressional inquiry.
"If that reverend thinks he is going to change the way we do things here in
Maricopa County, then he's got another thing coming," Arpaio said.
