Sheriff Joe Arpaio Has A Choice To Make

America’s favorite sheriff, Joe Arpaio, has been catching flack for his expensive, time-consuming (and, you know, xenophobic) sweeps of Arizona drivers. In the ten sweeps Arpaio and his team have conducted since March of 2008, 552 people were detained for offenses like driving with suspended licenses or warrants. Less than half of the people picked up were illegal immigrants. Many have complained that Arpaio’s efforts at identifying illegal immigrants hinges on racial profiling and causes mistrust, fear, and anger at the government in communities of legal immigrants in Arizona. 

The sweeps, which can take weeks to plan and can cost up to $40,000 to carry out, have drawn the attention of The Department of Homeland Security, which has given Arpaio a choice: He has 90 days to consider joining another, government-sanctioned plan to identify and bring in illegal immigrants using federally trained officers. 

If Arpaio agrees to this new program (part of the recently revamped 287(g) initiative), he can continue organizing his sweeps, but will have to release illegal immigrants who have not committed crimes other than, you know. Entering the country illegally.

If Arpaio decides not to participate, he will not be allowed to continue the identification program currently in place in Phoenix jails. The program includes providing all inmates with an immigration screening, with those born abroad receiving more scrutiny than their American-born peers, despite whatever their legal status may be.

So it boils down to Arpaio making the decision to play by the fed’s rules or stick to berating people for driving with busted headlights. And then making ‘em wear pink when they’re eventually arrested for punching a sheriff in the jaw.

Feds give sheriff a tough choice on immigration enforcement [AZ Central]