Reporting suspected illegals said to be racial profiling

A Sheriff in Arizona is coming under fire by civil rights groups for setting up a hotline to enable folks to report suspected illegal immigrants.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has said he will not shut down the hotline, which was just launched on Friday, in spite of Latino civil rights groups denouncing the hotline as racial profiling.

Sheriff Arpaio is used to such accusations, in light of several sweeping changes he has instituted in jail operations since being elected in 1992. Among those changes that affected inmates were the following: began serving inmates surplus food (not as tasty but much cheaper and enough to keep them alive), banning salt, pepper and coffee, removing pornographic materials and weightlifting equipment, banning smoking, reinstated chain gangs and the black and white stripes historically worn by inmates.

But perhaps Sheriff Arpaio is most notorious for "Tent City". Having grown tired of watching convicted criminals released early from jail because of overcrowding and not having $70 million to build a larger facility, Sheriff Arpaio spent around $100,000 on military tents, cement pads, fencing and fans and set up "Tent City" to accommodate more inmates.

During the summer of 2003, when outside temperatures exceeded 110 degrees Fahrenheit (higher than average, even for scorching hot Phoenix) Arpaio said to complaining inmates, "It's 120 degrees in Iraq and the soldiers are living in tents and they didn't commit any crimes, so shut your mouths" However, inmates were given permission to wear only their pink underwear. (According to a July, 2003 Associated Press story.)

Somehow I doubt the civil rights folks will be able to do anything about the hotline...

As for the racial profiling, I for one am sick to death of hearing that phrase. I'm sorry, Latinos are the ones sneaking over our border by the millions, of course they would be at a greater risk for being reported as possible illegals in Arizona. . Odds are good Latinos will be the ones suspected of being here illegally. I hardly consider that racial profiling just as I hardly considered it racial profiling to more carefully search Middle Eastern people attempting to board a plan after 9/11.