Gordon: City employee racially profiled by sheriff's deputy

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon is standing by his claim that a Hispanic city employee was racially profiled by a sheriff's deputy while riding in a car with several Caucasian people.

Jessica Rodriguez was in a car with others when it was stopped by a Maricopa County sheriff's deputy. She claims she and her husband were the only individuals in the car asked to show a social security card.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the mayor's claim is false, and that Rodriguez actually apologized to a sheriff's sergeant for "throwing out the race card."

The mayor admits that's true.

"Jessica, in an attempt to not elevate the language of racism said that she ‘apologized if somebody had the impression that she was calling somebody racist,'" Gordon said.

But the mayor insists Rodriguez was racially profiled and said illegal immigration shouldn't be Arpaio's top priority.

"Sherriff, I respectfully ask you again to conduct your operations going after the worst of the worst," Gordon said. "The felons who are already wanted, the murderers that are wanted, and the drug dealers, the importers, the smugglers, please focus on those priorities."

Gordon also encouraged Arpaio to work with other law enforcement agencies and notify them when he plans immigration sweeps in their cities. The mayor said he has no vendetta against the sheriff, and that he's trying to handle the relationship between the two "professionally."