New Mexico Sheriff's Deputies Sued for Allegedly Conducting Illegal Immigration Raids

According to a press release from the American Civil Liberties Union, five families are suing Otero County, New Mexico sheriff's deputies for allegedly conducting illegal immigration raids on the families' homes. Two civil rights groups the American Civil Liberties Union and the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund are representing the families in court.

Sheriff's deputies conducted the immigration raids in the town of Chapparel on September 10th, 2007. The raids were conducted community wide but also involved direct sweeps of private residences, reportedly without search warrants. The American Civil Liberties Union claims that the target homes were chosen due to the race and ethnicity of the occupants. Civil rights groups were immediately up in arms once information about the raids was made public.

ACLU Executive Director Peter Simonson had this to say about the case: "Otero County Sheriffs broke a basic bond of trust with the community of Chaparral. When the police treat you like a criminal because of the language you speak and the color of your skin, they cease being a source of help when you are a victim of or witness to a crime. We need to restore policing to its proper mission in Chaparral so citizens and immigrants alike can trust that someone is watching out for their safety."

Staff Attorney David Urias from the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund commented further: ""The enforcement of immigration laws is strictly a responsibility of the federal government. Sheriff's deputies are not immigration officers and do not have the authority or the training to investigate or arrest people because they suspect them of being undocumented. In Otero County, Sheriff's deputies are taking federal law into their own hands and violating the rights of Latinos, including citizens and legal permanent residents. These raids are simply illegal and un-American."

Otero County Sheriff John Blanset denied the rights groups allegations, which led to the lawsuit, in a press conference on Monday. He said: "I won't tolerate anything outside the law. " He also stressed that he informs deputies participating in the raids that: "You will play by the rules." Blanset claims that the deputies were operating under a grant from the federal government, and that their actions were legal and within the scope of the program.

The families lawsuit paperwork contains information regarding a specific immigration raid in Chaparral. The filing claims that sheriff's deputies descended upon a private residence in Chaparal in the early a.m. hours and roused the occupants by banging on the exterior walls of the dwelling. The filing also claims that one deputy tried to enter the residence through the window of an occupied room. One Sheriff's deputy allegedly yelled "Delivery! Mia's Pizza." The deputies were successful in ousting the residents from the home.