Arpaio draws protesters at CA speech on immigration
by KTAR.com (February 9th, 2011 @ 6:14am)


Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio shows off the pink underwear he forces inmates to wear during the Liberatore Lecture Series held on the grounds of the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda Tuesday night.

YORBA LINDA, Calif. -- Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio encountered a group of protesters outside the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in California where he spoke about illegal immigration Tuesday night.

According to The Orange Counter Register, protester Sharon Tipton of Irvine and Arpaio exchanged words outside the library in Yorba Linda.

Tipton asked Arpaio if he "was saying it's the immigrants' fault there is such high employment in this country?"

The sheriff responded, "No. I'm saying we're making vacancies. when we arrest people here illegally in the working place, and we put them in jail, which we do, it's vacancies for the owners to hire U.S. citizens to work."

Arpaio had some strong words for California.

"Unfortunately, everybody we arrest is headed for California," he said. "I wonder why they're headed for California. Because nobody enforces the law around here."

People who illegally enter the United States "are going to jail when you get to Maricopa County," Arpaio said.

A friendly crowd of several hundred people greeted Arpaio inside the library, where he spoke at a lecture series hosted by Philip Liberatore, an Orange County radio-talk host and conservative activist.

At one point in his speech, Arpaio waved a pair of the pink shorts he requires prisoners in his jails to wear. Most of his speech was lighthearted, talking about how he can't go to McDonald's and Mexican restaurants because of his department's immigration raids on those restaurants.

The friendly crowd cheered when he talked about his immigration raids.

"I don't call them 'undocumented' aliens. I call them 'illegal,' " Arpaio said to loud applause. He told the crowd he doesn't worry about his detractors, a luxury he wouldn't have if he were a city police chief and not an elected county official.

"Since I'm elected, I do what I feel is right, and I do it right away. I don't worry about lawyers," he said.

Arpaio also decried the federal government's civil-rights investigation, which focuses on whether Arpaio's deputies used racial profiling.

"I've got the Department of Justice investigating me. For what? I'm just doing my job," Arpaio said. "I took an oath of office to enforce the laws. That includes illegal immigration."

Tuesday night's event was not affiliated with the Nixon Library or the private Richard Nixon Foundation.

(Video at Link)

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