Joseph Arpaio, the Arizona sheriff known for his brutal tactics to little effect, is at the center of yet another controversy.
Arpaio is under investigation by the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division for alleged illegal profiling in his immigration crackdowns. The federal government recently took away some of his power to enforce immigration laws -- Arpaio cited a non-existent law to claim he could keep arresting illegal immigrants on the street anyway.
Now, Telemundo 52 is reporting on the case of a woman named Alma Minerva Chacon, who says she was detained while nine months pregnant and forced to give birth while shackled to a bed. Chacon said she was not allowed to hold her baby and was told that if no one came to pick up the child within 72 hours, the baby would be turned over to state custody.
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The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the mother in another case of a shackled birth not long ago. The New York Times reported in 2006 that the practice was relatively common across the country despite numerous complaints and lawsuits.
In January, Arpaio separated two young children from their mother when the woman was arrested for an unpaid traffic ticket during an an immigrant sweep.