New Mexico County Sued Over Immigration Raids

“Four civil rights groups sued a county near the Mexican border Wednesday alleging sheriff’s deputies forced their way into homes without warrants and illegally detained residents during impromptu immigration raids.

The suits claim the deputies sought out Hispanic immigrants under a federally funded effort aimed at curbing crime in border communities, including this Otero County town, which is outside El Paso, Texas, about 30 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Associated Press reported in September that deputies were routinely demanding proof of citizenship from residents either in traffic stops or at their homes. More than a dozen people had been arrested and turned over to the Border Patrol in August and September. Some were turned over right away; others were stopped for traffic violations the next day and “*

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