The immigration patrols and random work-site enforcement raids that made Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio a household name have ended, for the time being, thanks to a ruling by a federal court, according to The Arizona Republic.
U.S. District Judge Murray Snow had ruled that the famed saturation patrols performed by the Arizona sheriff were targeting Latinos based on their race.
"The great weight of the evidence is that all saturation patrols at issue in this case incorporated race as a consideration into their operations," Snow's ruling said.
Snow will listen to proposed changes from the sheriff's department on Friday to ensure that they are adhering to the court's ruling. The attorneys representing the American Civil Liberties Union are expected to ask for improved officer training, better record keeping of traffic stops, and a court appointed official to be placed within the sheriff's office to establish that the court's ruling is followed, according to the Associated Press.
Sheriff Arpaio is expected to resist the appointment of a monitor. Last year the sheriff rejected a court appointed monitor in a differed racial profiling case on the grounds that running things past a monitor would take away his authority, according to the Associated Press.
Tim Casey, the attorney for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department, argues that a court ordered monitor violates the constitutional rights of Arpaio.
"We have to protect the constitutional rights of the people, and we have to protect the constitutional establishment of the state office," Casey told The Arizona Republic.
Since the ruling sheriff's deputies find themselves rescuing border crossers instead of arresting them. The ruling prohibits officers from calling Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents when they encounter a suspected illegal immigrant who has not committed a crime, according to The Arizona Republic.
"I'm in a Catch-22 here," Arpaio said. "I would have to lean toward saving the lives of the people here illegally here in the desert. I can't call ICE anymore."
