Reuters: U.S.: At Arizona sheriff's trial, Latino driver tells of humiliation

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At Arizona sheriff's trial, Latino driver tells of humiliation Jul 25th 2012, 23:18 By Tim Gaynor PHOENIX | Wed Jul 25, 2012 7:18pm EDT PHOENIX (Reuters) - A U.S. Latino citizen fought back tears at an Arizona sheriff's racial profiling trial on Wednesday as he described being pulled over by a deputy and having his groin frisked during a traffic stop he said was motivated by his ethnicity. Contractor Daniel Magos, 67, testified at the civil trial of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio that he was pulled over by a deputy as he drove with his U.S.-born wife to meet a client in December 2009, ostensibly because of a missing license plate on the trailer of his pickup truck. Magos described the deputy "yelling" at him and his wife during the stop, at which he provided his license and insurance papers and declared a legally held handgun. Told to spread his legs while being searched, Magos fought back tears when he was asked to describe how he felt being patted down in the underarms and groin. "Humiliated, worthless, defenseless," he said of the morning traffic stop in the Phoenix valley, which did not result in any charges or citations. Arpaio, who styles himself "America's toughest sheriff," is on trial in U.S. District Court in Phoenix in a class-action lawsuit that will test whether police can target illegal immigrants without racially profiling Hispanic citizens and legal residents. The 80-year-old lawman testified under oath on Tuesday he was against "anyone racial profiling" and denied his office arrested "people because of the color of their skin." The sheriff, who is seeking re-election to a sixth term in November, has been a lightning rod for controversy over his aggressive enforcement of immigration laws in the state, which borders Mexico, as well as his investigation into the validity of President Barack Obama's U.S. birth certificate. The suit was brought against Arpaio and his office on behalf of five Hispanics who say they were stopped by deputies because they were Latino, which Arpaio denies. Arizona was in the news last month when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a key element of the state's crackdown on illegal immigrants requiring police to investigate those they stop and suspect of being in the country illegally. The Obama administration challenged the crackdown in court, saying the U.S. Constitution gives the federal government sole authority over immigration policy. Arpaio faces a separate, broader lawsuit filed by the U.S. Justice Department in May, alleging systematic profiling, sloppy and indifferent police work and a disregard for minority rights. The plaintiffs in the suit include the Somos America immigrants' rights coalition and all Latino drivers stopped by the sheriff's office since 2007. 'LOST RESPECT FOR THE SHERIFF' Magos, who was born in Mexico and took up U.S. citizenship 45 years ago, said the deputy later apologized and told him the stop "had nothing to do with racial profiling." "I told him that's exactly what it was." Magos testified, saying he took down the deputy's name and badge number, and lodged a complaint with the American Civil Liberties Union. Asked if the incident changed his view of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, or MCSO, he said: "I lost respect for the MCSO's deputies and sheriff." Asked if he felt he was treated differently for his ethnicity, he said "Yes." The court also heard testimony from deputy Michael Kikes, a motorcycle officer who took part in an immigration sweep over two days in March 2008. Kikes described pulling over a sport utility vehicle with U.S.-born Hispanic driver Manuel Nieto at the wheel during the operation. Asked if the traffic stop, which resulted in no charges, was motivated by race or ethnicity, he said: "No." Taking the stand, Nieto told the court he was born in Illinois and is the father of five children. Asked if he felt he had been racially profiled, he said: "I do believe so. ... I wasn't arrested to be given a traffic violation, so I believe I was racially profiled." Also called to testify was Brett Palmer, a sheriff's office sergeant who supervised a human smuggling unit that took part in an immigration sweep in the Phoenix valley in May 2008. Under cross-examination, Palmer noted that 17 of 20 people arrested in the two-day sweep had Hispanic last names. Asked by plaintiffs' counsel Cecillia Wang if it piqued concerns about racial profiling, he replied: "No m'am, it did not." Wang later attempted to portray the office as lacking in professionalism. She cited an email Palmer forwarded to subordinates noting that 95 percent of warrants for murder in Los Angeles were issued for illegal immigrants. The source was an article attributed to the Los Angeles Times, which had previously been debunked as a hoax. Asked if he had withdrawn the email, Palmer said he had not. The court also learned Palmer had forwarded an e-mail of what he said was a "rare" photo of a "Mexican Navy Seal" to subordinates. Seals are elite U.S. Navy forces. The picture showed a dog in a scuba diving outfit. "Do you consider this a joke, a joke worth sending to deputies under your supervision?" Wang asked, to which Palmer replied: "At the time, yes." He said he was later disciplined. The jury trial before Judge Murray Snow is expected to run until August 2. (Reporting By Tim Gaynor; Editing by Greg McCune and Todd Eastham) Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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