Forum aims to address racial-profiling concerns

Daniel González

The Arizona Republic
Mar. 4, 2008 12:00 AM

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has arrested hundreds of illegal immigrants over the past year, but some Latino community leaders say the crackdown has come at a price: a surge in racial profiling.

"It appears that this is an issue that is occurring in our state, and there is definitely concern over it," said Melanie Pate, chief counsel of the Civil Rights Division of the Attorney General's Office.

Her office, along with the Arizona Civil Rights Advisory Board, will hold a forum Thursday on the issue. Public comments help determine whether to draft recommendations to combat discriminatory police practices, she said.

Phoenix lawyer Antonio Bustamante said authorities use traffic stops as a pretext to arrest illegal immigrants. Racial profiling is hard to prove, he said, and there is no hard data. But Bustamante said anecdotal evidence is increasing and supports claims.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio said his deputies have been trained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to avoid profiling. Since 100 deputies received training last March, they have arrested 790 illegal immigrants on federal charges while performing routine duties, including traffic stops.