Thread: Rep. Franks defends Arpaio, sheriff blames mayor

Rep. Franks defends Arpaio, sheriff blames mayor

March 16th, 2009 @ 5:46am

by Jeremy Foster and Mike Sauceda/KTAR

There are two federal inquiries into Sheriff Joe Arpaio's illegal immigration policies and one Arizona congressman said he knows why.

"They feel like that if they can take him out and do him damage or intimidate him, they end up intimidating the whole specter of law enforcement that deals with illegal immigration," says Republican Rep. Trent Franks.

Franks said it's vital that Arpaio continue his tough stance, especially now that Phoenix is the kidnapping capital of the U.S.

He said the sheriff's opponents are backwards in their thinking.

"I'm just sort of astonished that we keep seeing this trend on the part of the Judiciary Committee especially under the Democratic control here, where they are seemingly more committed to going after the good guys than they are the bad guys."

Frank said there's nothing unlawful or inhumane about Arpaio's raids.

The Justice Department is also going to investigate Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office for possible racial profiling.

Arpaio told KTAR's Jay Lawrence he's not worried.

"They say they're coming down. You know, my doors are open. We do not racial profile."

Arpaio accused Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon of having a hand in the letter that informed him of the investigation "which by the way, Gordon was there at the same time talking to these people. He probably prepared the letter, but that's another issue. It will come out."

"We're going to survive this. It's just another blip in the 17 year career of the sheriff."
http://news.ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=1103295

"I'm just sort of astonished that we keep seeing this trend on the part of the Judiciary Committee especially under the Democratic control here, where they are seemingly more committed to going after the good guys than they are the bad guys."

Your not alone in that feeling of astonishment Rep. Franks! Thanks for having the character and courage to stand for what is right!

He must be up for re-election

vmonkey56 wrote:

He must be up for re-election

Rep. Franks is consistent. He has a career grade of 'A-' with NumbersUSA. He's very strong in ever category except foreign workers. He loves bringing in the foreign workers under the visa program. He has an 'F' in that category.

Originally Posted by vmonkey56

He must be up for re-election

In just a quick glance at his biography and record, I'm not sure that's the case.

He's described as a conservative Reagan Republican and to all appearances has been very supportive of law enforcement, anti-illegal immigration measures, the American taxpayer, etc.

I know it's become very easy to be distrustful of government but we do have to remember that there still ARE some in office who are not Hell bent on destroying this country and everyone in it

Originally Posted by vmonkey56

He must be up for re-election

US house reps are elected every two years

Franks was on Lou Dobbs on Friday
the video right now as i write is here

http://loudobbs.tv.cnn.com/



TRANSCRIPT:

And liberals and ethnocentric interest groups launching what one congressman calls a witch hunt against Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona -- it doesn't get much more overt than this. We'll be talking about that and the investigation that should be underway.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: Maricopa County, Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio is targeted because he actually enforces immigration laws. The Justice Department has opened an investigation into the sheriff's office after a request from congressmen, left-wing congressmen, all of them aligned with open borders amnesty groups and with petitions in hand from ethnocentric special interest groups. Lisa Sylvester has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA SYLVESTER, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Last month Maricopa Sheriff Joe Arpaio marched 200 illegal aliens to what's known as "Tent City," temporary housing for those convicted and awaiting deportation. He also has his own TV show on FOX Reality Channel called "Smile, You're Under Arrest," using actors to help capture wanted criminals.

The sheriff's conventional ways have attracted hundreds of lawsuits and much criticism. Four congressional members who chair the committees on judiciary issues and immigration plan to hold a hearing. They also sent a letter to the departments of Justice and Homeland Security requesting an investigation.

The letter says the sheriff's department has been scouring Latino neighborhoods to search out undocumented immigrants. And community leaders and civil rights activists are circulating an anti-Arpaio petion signed by 35,000 people. Alfredo Gutierrez runs "La Frontera Times," a Web site advocating open borders.

ALFREDO GUTIERREZ, IMMIGRATION ACTIVIST: They're using the authority that was granted to them by the federal government under a specific program known as 287-G to racially profile.

SYLVESTER: Requests from congress on public petitions rarely result in investigations. In this case, the Department of Justice has decided to launch a civil rights probe of the sheriff's office based on its own information. In a letter, federal authorities said they are looking into alleged patterns of discriminatory police practices and unconstitutional searches and seizures.

SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO, MARICOPA COUNTY, AZ: I'm not worried about these allegations. They've been around for over a year. Over a year, the same allegations...

SYLVESTER: Arpaio's office said the citizens of his county fully back him. He was easily reelected last November.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Now, Arpaio says he not only welcomes the investigation, but he is looking forward to giving the Department of Justice advice on how they can do a better job to secure the border.

Now, an Arizona representative, Jeff Lake's office told CNN that the federal government has put local jurisdictions in this very difficult position because it hasn't been enforcing federal laws and that's left it up to states and local communities to fill that role - Lou.

DOBBS: Lisa, the congressmen are all -- Congressman Conyers, Congresswoman Lofgren, who else?

SYLVESTER: Nadler and Scott, and they are all Democrats.

DOBBS: And they're all Democrats, they're all left-wing Democrats, aren't they?

SYLVESTER: They are. And they are all on record, essentially, opposing the 287-G program. At least that's the way that Sheriff Arpaio has been implementing. So, these are long-time critics of Arpaio.

DOBBS: And the Day Laborers Association, La Raza, joining with them, bringing a petition. So, this is basically justice by petion, if you will. It's really persecution. There's no other way to put it. And this is so transparent. I mean, this is almost Stalinist in the way in which these liberal Democrats are trying to use the federal government to overwhelm a sheriff.

SYLVESTER: Yeah, you know, Arpaio said that he was surprised it took them this long because, you know, with the change of administration, he said that he was fully expecting Democrats to come after him, and now we see the results.

DOBBS: Well, he's had those Democrats coming after him before. He and Janet Napolitano, now they -- formerly the governor of Arizona and now, of course, the secretary of Homeland Security, I mean, this sheriff, you know, he's had I don't know how many lawsuits against him. He has had I don't know how many arrests over these years. And just last year he put out a statement showing just how effective he had been in dealing with illegal immigration in his state. Really remarkable.

Is there some reason that the Justice Department isn't carrying out an investigation as to why U.S. immigration law isn't being enforced by the federal government? Is the Justice Department, or any one of those committees of those left-wing Democrats investigating why the border is not secure? Despite the fact that that of human smuggling are two of the principal reasons we have so much, first, anarchy in Mexico and such threats to our southwestern United States?

SYLVESTER: Well, I can tell you, Lou, that Sheriff Arpaio wants this to be a conversation and I'm sure that those are some of the questions he's going to ask the Department of Justice, which is, why aren't you securing the borders. And by the way, I should say, he intends to keep on doing exactly what he has been doing, despite the announcement of this investigation -- Lou.

DOBBS: I must say, the fact that we have not heard from the entire - you know, Senator John McCain, Senator John Kyl, the entire congressional delegation of Arizona holding their silence here, suggests to me, you know, something that isn't very flattering to them. This is really remarkable. Why aren't they speaking up here?

SYLVESTER: Well, you know, I think that what they will tell you is that this is an ongoing investigation, so they can't really comment on it, but Sheriff Arpaio, he has a lot of support within his community. But some of the political leaders are not as supportive, we'll say.

DOBBS: Well, certainly the mayor of Phoenix and a few other folks, primarily ethnocentric focused, both officers and organizations. But it is shameful that people don't have the guts to stand up. You know, you elect them to office, and then when there is an issue at hand, they run like ducks.

Anyway, thank you very much. Appreciate it. Lisa Sylvester.

88 THE YOUTUBE VIDEO OF CONVERSATION below is linked
here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viih9b2R2e4


Well, joining me now with more on the Arpaio controversy is Congressman Trent Franks. Trent Franks represents Sheriff Arpaio's district.

And Congressman, I got to say, first of all, good for you for standing up for somebody in your district, and whom you have faith. There are other folks who have faith in him, but they don't have the guts to stand up. You probably know some of the people I'm referring to. But, anyway, welcome.

REP TRENT FRANKS (R), ARIZONA: Well, thank you, Lou. And you know, the bottom line here is that this sheriff is not being investigated because he's somehow breaking the law. He's being investigated because he is enforcing the law. And I'm just sort of astonished that we keep seeing this trend on the part of the judiciary committee, especially under the Democratic control here where they're seemingly more committed to going after the good guys than they are the bad guys. That's been a trend even with the terrorist elements here. The last two years we've had about a dozen hearings on legislation that would weaken our ability to defend ourselves against terrorists and none that would strengthen our ability to do the same.

DOBBS: You know, you're sitting here with a community, Phoenix, which is the heart of Maricopa County, congressman, as you well know, you represent Phoenix as well as Maricopa County, it's in your district. It's become the kidnapping capital of the country. And the violence is accelerating.

The issue of human smuggling, drug smuggling, Arizona one of the principal corridors, this sheriff is the most prominent and the most effective local official in the battle against illegal drugs, illegal immigration, trying to bring order, and he's being attacked by four left-wing congress people who have an obvious agenda here, and there's not a peep being made. I mean, this is -- I swear to you, this feels like either brave new world Orwellian, or you know, absolutely Joseph Stalin has secretly been resurrected.

FRANKS: Well, you see, I think the reason, one of the reasons that they're going after sheriff Arpaio is because he's high profile and they feel like that if they can take him out or do damage or intimidate him, that they'll end up intimidating the whole specter of law enforcement that deals with illegal immigration.

And I just -- again, continue to be astonished that somehow we got these guys out there trying to enforce the law, trying to protect us from narco terrorists, probably some day being able to protect us from maybe jihadist terrorists bringing weapons of mass destruction over the border, and here they're trying to fight the bad guys in front, and the Congress, their own government, is knifing them in the back from behind.

DOBBS: Well, here's what Sheriff Arpaio said. You call this a witch hunt and I think that you're being kind in saying that. Here's what Sheriff Arpaio had to say, if we can put this full screen up. He asked about the hearings from Messrs Conyers and Lofgren. I mean, I can't tell you what little regard I have for those four people.

But after finding out that the Judiciary Committee is planning a congressional hearing, here's what he said: "Why don't they wait for the federal investigation? Why do they want hearings now? Because it's a political situation. They want to keep putting the pressure on me, hoping that I go away, and that is not going to happen."

You and I both know, Congressman, if Sheriff Arpaio was a man of less principal and less guts, I mean, he, you know, most people -- I won't say most people, but nearly every political figure I know would fold up like a wilted daisy, subjected to the pressure that this sheriff has been over the past several years.

FRANKS: Well, you know, I think that's what they hope the sheriff will do, but I think they picked on the wrong guy, here. I don't think he's going to do that. And I think in the final analysis, when the smoke clears, you're going to find that Sheriff Arpaio, you may not like he's enforcing 287-G, you may not like the fact that he is doing it as he's doing, but there's certainly nothing illegal about it.

DOBBS: Are you saying there's no racial profiling?

FRANKS: You know, I don't think there's any racial profiling at all, Lou. I think that the sheriff is trying to go after the criminal element and we find in Maricopa County about 53 percent of all violent crime in our county is perpetrated by illegal immigrants. And so, when he goes after crime, he's naturally going to run into some illegal immigrants in the process.

DOBBS: Well, let me ask you this. Is there any way you can bring on investigations - you know, first, I think there should be an investigation of all of these congress people who called for this investigation. There should be an investigation of the relationship to the ethnocentric interest groups who were driving the petition, which only has 35,000 signatures. By the way, I believe that Sheriff Arpaio, if it's all about petitions, he could raise 350,000 signatures in short order just in Maricopa County.

But, is there any way in which you can carry out an investigation, here? Is there any way we could get an investigation for the American people as to why our government isn't securing our borders, isn't enforcing U.S. immigration law?

FRANKS: Well, I think the best approach in that regard is what you're doing rights now. You're telling the country and the world what they're really doing, here. And I do think that there's an underlying agenda. You got to keep in mind that ACORN Is one of the groups behind this effort to try to go after the sheriff.

(CROSSTALK)

DOBBS: Yeah, ACORN is under investigation in 13 states, itself, by the way.

FRANKS: Right. So, there's a political agenda here that's just unavoidable. And the bottom line is, this is a pretty tough fight here that I'm in a border state, and you know, I'm married to an immigrant that came here from the Philippines and I despise any thoughts of doing anything that would be based on ethnic or racial profiling, but we have to enforce the law and that is the best way to maintain freedom for everyone.

DOBBS: You bet, Congressman, thanks. Well, freedom for everyone, but people who want to enforce the law apparently. Congressman Trent Franks, thanks for being a stand-up guy. We appreciate it. Good to have you with us.

FRANKS: Thank you.

"I'm just sort of astonished that we keep seeing this trend on the part of the Judiciary Committee especially under the Democratic control here, where they are seemingly more committed to going after the good guys than they are the bad guys."

Excellent comment Rep. Franks and thank you for standing up for a good guy. So many things in this country are upside down, inside out and lack common sense.

Originally Posted by jean

"I'm just sort of astonished that we keep seeing this trend on the part of the Judiciary Committee especially under the Democratic control here, where they are seemingly more committed to going after the good guys than they are the bad guys."

Excellent comment Rep. Franks and thank you for standing up for a good guy. So many things in this country are upside down, inside out and lack common sense.

sounds like Johnny Sutton. didnt he go after about 6 good guys?

Originally Posted by jamesw62

sounds like Johnny Sutton. didnt he go after about 6 good guys?

Now that Nacho Ramos and José Compean have been released, the prisons have a vacancy for another honest lawman. Can't think of a better one than Sheriff Joe Arpaio.