Hopey-Changey Congress Targeting America's Sheriff

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's crackdown on illegal aliens is to be investigated by the Justice and Homeland Security Departments at the request of Democrat members of the House Judiciary Committee. Sheriff Arpaio is allegedly committing civil-rights violations.

The four lawmakers called on Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to investigate complaints that deputies used skin color as the basis to search for illegal immigrants. They also asked that a federal agreement allowing the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office to enforce immigration laws be terminated if any problems can't be fixed.

The lawmakers are the highest-level officials, and the first under the new Obama administration and Democratic-controlled Congress, to make such a request. They are committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. of Michigan, Zoe Lofgren of California, Jerrold Nadler of New York and Robert Scott of Virginia.

The Democrats claim that Sheriff Arpaio is overreaching his authority. Arpaio allegedly "scours Latino neighborhoods" searching for illegals based on skin color.

Personally, I think that Congress is overreaching. From my reading, Sheriff Arpaio doesn't need to do racial profiling in Maricopa County to find illegal aliens. Arguably, it's a target-rich area. In fact, I've heard you can't swing a cat in Phoenix without hitting at least one illegal.

Companion post at Diggers Realm.