Sheriff Arpaio Sued Over Racial Profiling of Latinos In Maricopa County

PHOENIX, AZ – Today, five individuals and Somos America, a Latino community-based coalition, sued Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office (MCSO) and Maricopa County, charging that they or their members were unlawfully stopped and mistreated by law enforcement because they are Latino. The class action lawsuit – which builds upon a complaint filed last December – is before the U.S. District Court in Arizona.

National, Local Civil Rights Groups Join MALDEF in Court Filing Against Hazleton Ordinance

CHICAGO, IL – Today, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the nation’s leading Latino civil rights organization, filed an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief in an appeal of last year’s federal court decision that struck down Hazleton, Pennsylvania’s anti-immigrant ordinances. MALDEF was joined in their effort by 25 national civil rights and Pennsylvania-based Latino and immigrant advocacy organizations.