Tucson, Ariz. – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arizona sued the Pima County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD) after the agency failed to comply with state public records law. The ACLU of Arizona submitted a public records request to the department for documents related to its contact with federal immigration officials. Although PCSD acknowledged the request, it did not provide any records.
Before receiving records requests from the Arizona Luminaria and the ACLU of Arizona, PCSD maintained a record keeping policy that mandated the department keep track of requests for assistance from federal immigration officials. However, according to Arizona Luminaria’s records request, PCSD stopped tracking this contact in June of last year, even though the regulation remained in effect until July of 2025.
“The ACLU of Arizona has waited two and a half months and received no answers. PCSD’s lack of responsive records and its intervening policy revisions should raise eyebrows for Pima County residents,” said John Mitchell, immigrants’ rights attorney with the ACLU of Arizona. “This lawsuit is about transparency and justice for community members who fear the abject cruelty of Trump’s mass deportation agenda.”
Although Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said his department would not assist in enforcing federal law, investigations revealed that at least 16 people were turned over to Border Patrol by sheriff’s deputies between January 2022 and June 2023. The ACLU of Arizona filed the complaint as collaboration between local and federal law enforcement intensifies under the Trump administration.
The complaint can be viewed here.