In the Nation

ARIZONA

Sheriff disbands

immigration squad

An Arizona sheriff known for crackdowns on people living in the country illegally is giving up his last major foothold in immigration enforcement efforts that won him popularity among voters but gradually were reined in by Congress and the courts.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office revealed late Wednesday that it was agreeing to disband a squad that has raided businesses to arrest more than 700 immigrants who were charged with using fake or stolen IDs to get jobs.

"He has proved that when he gets involved in immigration enforcement, he tramples on the U.S. Constitution," said Cecillia Wang, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer.

The move comes after the sheriff's office was stripped of federal immigration powers, found to have racially profiled Latinos in traffic stops, and was investigated by federal authorities for alleged civil rights violations. - AP
MAINE

Abduction thwarted

A museum employee thwarted a man's attempt Tuesday to grab a 2-year-old girl and leave the building, police said Thursday. The girl was at the Maine State Museum in Augusta with her grandmother, who had turned her back to hang up coats. Police said receptionist Sharon Wise, a retired teacher, saw the man grab the girl and intervened, causing him to release the child. Police arrested James Cavallaro, 58, in the museum's parking lot. - AP
NEBRASKA

Pot law challenged

Nebraska and Oklahoma on Thursday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to declare Colorado's legalization of marijuana unconstitutional, saying the drug is being brought into their states. Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning said the states filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent Colorado from enforcing the measure approved by voters in 2012. The complaint says the measure runs afoul of federal law, violating the Constitution's supremacy clause. - AP