SUNLAND PARK, N.M. (AP) — Police in a New Mexico border city are being accused of discrimination after stopping an immigrant and searching his vehicle for drugs.
The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico filed a lawsuit Friday in state district court against the city of Sunland Park. The group alleges a police officer unlawfully detained Oscar Gutierrez Sanchez and his young son during a March 2018 traffic stop.
Sunland Park spokesman Peter Ibarbo said the city was not in a position to comment on the litigation.
Sanchez was initially stopped because the officer accused him of speeding. The lawsuit contends the subsequent search of his vehicle was done without a warrant, consent or probable cause and that authorities turned up no contraband or evidence of illegal activity.
The ACLU alleges that Sanchez was profiled and that such instances erode community trust.