Special enforcement arrangements between local agencies and the Department of Homeland Security— known as 287(g) programs—are being targeted for their human rights abuses. In Phoenix, Ariz., protesters marched for six miles against abuse of female detainees. The march began outside the offices of the infamous Sheriff Joe Arpaio, whose abuses have sparked public outrage.
Maria del Carmen Garcia Martinez, a former detainee in Estrella county jail, testified that six guards broke her arm to force her to put her fingerprint on a form she refused to sign, then let her suffer without treatment for 20 hours. Garcia Martinez explained, “I met other women there [in detention] who have gone through terrible things.”
But racist officers are getting a helping hand from the courts. In Alamance County, N.C., seven protesters were convicted of “disorderly conduct” for sitting down at the entrance of Alamance County detention center when they were denied entrance to the facility. The demonstrators show no intention of giving in.
