The U.S. Justice Department has asked a federal judge to reject Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's request to dismiss parts of a lawsuit by the federal government that alleges the sheriff's office has committed a wide range of civil rights violations.

Lawyers for the Justice Department asked the court on Friday to deny the Arizona sheriff's request to be dismissed from the lawsuit and throw out claims that the sheriff's office treats Latinos differently than other people.

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit last month accusing Arpaio's office of racially profiling Latinos in its trademark immigration patrols, retaliating against its critics and punishing Latino jail inmates with limited English skills for speaking Spanish.

The lawsuit also accused Arpaio's office of launching some immigration patrols based on citizen letters that complained about people with dark skin congregating in a given area or speaking Spanish but never reported an actual crime.