Joe Arpaio was the former sheriff of Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. He left a horrible legacy of unlawfully detaining citizens he perceived to be undocumented Latino immigrants.
In 2007, plaintiffs started a lawsuit titled Ortega Melendres v. Penzone, challenging Maricopa County Sherriff’s Office’s practice of holding Latino individuals without an appropriate warrant. This practice is a violation of the U.S. Constitution.
In 2011, a federal judge issued a Preliminary Injunction prohibiting the Sherrif’s Office at Maricopa from stopping people based on their immigration status. The office violated this court order in 2015, so in 2016, courts agreed to hold them accountable.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s actions were unforgivable to the public eye, and, as of this December, it apparently also seemed that way to the U.S. federal court. Up until December 3, 2018, anyone who was detained between December 23, 2011, and May 24, 2013, due to their apparent immigration status can file a claim on a bilingual website created for the purpose of receiving compensation.
The website states that anyone detained for more than 20 minutes is a contender to receive up to $500 bucks. If it was for over an hour, $35 dollars would be charged for every 20 additional minutes detained. There is a cap of $10,000 for possible compensation, though.
This article was inspired by LATINA LISTA // Latino motorists profiled by Sheriff Joe Arpaio finally get due justice