Profiling persists despite revamped guidelines

A three-day widely publicised immigration raid by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office left the city of Mesa like a ghost town. Small businesses closed. Workers stayed home to avoid being pulled over and questioned for documents. "There was panic and fear," said Magdalena Schwartz, a pastor at the Disciples of the Kingdom Free Methodist Church in Mesa, who received numerous calls from residents. "Children are afraid of being separated from their parents," she added. Sheriff Joe Arpaio has the largest police force in the nation deputised to enforce U.S. immigration laws. His raids in mostly Latino neighbourhoods have raised concerns over racial profiling - and prompted a call to end his 287(g) agreement with the federal government. His latest controversial sweep happened weeks after Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced new guidelines to put the focus of the programme's Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with local law enforcement on the capture of criminal immigrants. But while some see the chances as a positive step, civil rights advocates argue they are minimal and cosmetic.