Fed Judge Halts Arpaio’s Worksite Raids

A federal judge has effectively halted controversial Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio from conducting his workplace raids to arrest undocumented immigrants and then have them prosecuted by Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery. U.S. District Court Judge David Campbell issued a preliminary injunction against two state laws that criminalize identity theft for the purpose of obtaining employment, claiming they were unconstitutional because they are pre-empted by federal law. Since 2008, the Maricopa County Sheriff's office arrested over 700 undocumented immigrants through worksite raids. They then tended to plead guilty after weeks in jail, thanks to another state law that undocumented immigrants held for serious crimes could not be released on bail. Arpaio had already said that he planned to end his workplace raids in January or February but Maricopa officials still weren't pleased. Montgomery's office released a statement saying the ruling underscored the “Obama Administration's indifference to the effects of unlawful immigration practices.”