More funny business in Arizona, as Sheriff Joe Arpaio—the immigrant rights movement’s Bull Connor—has admitted that the Sheriff’s office destroyed numerous documents relating to a racial discrimination lawsuit against his department.
The chief law enforcement officer in Arizona’s Maricopa County, Joe Arpaio, could be sanctioned by a federal judge, after the controversial sheriff’s office verified that it destroyed documents relating to a lawsuit that accuses the department of racial discrimination.
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There is a judge presiding over the preliminary sessions of the racial discrimination lawsuit, which was submitted two years ago by five people with the organization Somos América contra Arpaio (We Are America Against Arpaio in English).
The case is related to numerous raids that were carried out in Latino neighborhoods in Maricopa Country, which includes the city of Phoenix….
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“We know that they destroyed all of the records of arrests during the raids,” noted David Bodney, chief lawyer for the plaintiffs.
Top government officials in Mexico are apparently flipping out over the fact that human rights groups in the Untied States are criticizing abuses that have been used by the Mexican police forces in the name of fighting drug traficiking. Despite a growing militarization of the drug war in Mexico—thanks in part to millions in assistance from the U.S. government—violence has only increased against civilians and most notably, social movements opposing the government.
In an interview [Public Safety Committee of the Senate, Felipe González] accused: “Organizations like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and others want to see us embroiled in blood. They want to see the violent situation get worse in the country.”
For a little context, Amnesty International Recently reported the following last week:
The Mexican government is providing the UN with an incomplete assessment of the human rights situation in the country, according to an Amnesty International's alternative report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council as it reviews the human rights performance of the Latin-American country on 10 February.
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- The military justice system continues to try cases of human rights violations despite international human rights standards insisting these should be tried in civilian courts.
- The number of reports of abuses such as arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment, sexual violence and unlawful killings by security officials has increased during security operations to combat violent criminal gangs.
Secretary of Homeland Security United States, Janet Napolitano, will travel to Mexico on Tuesday as part of a series of international meetings at the highest level.
The objective of the visit, according to a press release issued by the Department of Homeland Security United States is to build consensus, develop a robust policy dealing with global security, and identify specific steps that each nation must take individually and collectively to protect all aircraft passengers….
In her first major speech on immigration reform since becoming the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano worked to define the Obama administration’s agenda and what has changed since the issue was debated by Congress in 2007.
Speaking at the Center for American Progress in Washington D.C., Napolitano said her department had met with more than 1,000 groups in an effort to find out what works and what doesn’t when it comes to immigration.
“The businesses, community leaders, labor leaders, faith groups and law enforcement we’ve met with all have different stories, but they all reach the same conclusion: we need reform,” Napolitano said.
Apparently, the White House is favoring a “three-legged stool” approach, as it was called during the speech, which includes a “a commitment to serious and effective enforcement, improved legal flows for families and workers, and a firm but fair way to deal with those who are already here.”
As for what has changed since the failed McCain-Kennedy immigration reform bill debated in 2007, Napolitano emphasized the department’s amped up enforcement near the Mexican border—a key part to passing immigration reform according to the Homeland Security chief.
“The immigration debate in 2007 happened during a period of historically high levels of illegal entry into the United States,” said Napolitano. “Because of better enforcement and the current economic circumstances, those numbers have fallen sharply.”
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