A US judge has found that Arizona lawman Joe Arpaio has violated the constitutional rights of Latino drivers in an attempt to prevent illegal immigration.
Arpaio was sued by several Hispanic drivers who said his deputies stopped them because of their race.
Judge Murray Snow said on Friday that Arpaioâ„¢s office must stop Å“using race or Latino ancestry as a factor in determining to stop any vehicle in Maricopa County with a Latino occupant,” among other orders.
The ruling against the Maricopa County sheriff came eight months after a seven-day trial in 2012.
Snow added in his ruling that Å“the evidence demonstrates that the MCSO [Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office] specifically equated being a Hispanic or Mexican (as opposed to Caucasian or African-American) day laborer with being an unauthorized alien.”
He also ordered the MCSO to end activities, including Å“using race or Latino ancestry as a factor in making law enforcement decisions” and Å“detaining Latino occupants of vehicles… for a period longer than reasonably necessary.”
Arpaio, who styles himself as Å“toughest sheriff” of the US denied the allegations.
His lawyer Tim Casey said that the sheriff’s office Å“has never used race and will never use race in its law-enforcement decisions.” He also vowed to appeal the decision.
Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) hailed the ruling after it was made public.
Cecillia Wang, director of the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project said, Å“This is an important victory that will resound far beyond Maricopa County.”
She added that it is illegal to single out people for traffic stops and detentions Å“simply because they’re Latino.”
Almost one third of Arizona’s residents were not born in the US. Over 450,000 illegal immigrants are estimated to be in Arizona, which borders Mexico.
MR/NN
This article originally appeared on: Press TV