Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), chair of the Senate Judicary Committee, wants Attorney General Eric Holder to review the federal funds received by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office in the wake of the Justice Department’s lawsuit against Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
“I urge the Department to take all appropriate steps to determine whether taxpayer dollars provided through the SCAAP program have been used in connection with the detention of individuals whose civil rights have been violated,” Leahy wrote. “If so, I urge you to consider possible remedies including whether that funding can be recovered.”
Like all federal grantees, Maricopa County — which has received $25 million since 2000 through the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program — “must be held to high standards of ethical and lawful conduct when applying for and using such public funding,” Leahy wrote.
The Department of Homeland Security cut off Arpaio’s access to their Secure Communities program after DOJ’s initial report on civil rights abuses in Maricopa County back in December.
