thetowntalk.com
Opinion
Written by
Joe Arpaio
9:05 AM, Dec. 31, 2011


Joe Arpaio, sheriff of Maricopa County, Ariz., says: "I do not have the luxury of deciding whether to take a "hard-line approach" in the enforcement of state and federal laws. I must enforce all of them." / The AP

I took an oath of office in which I agreed to enforce the laws of the state and federal constitutions. As the top law enforcement officer in Maricopa County, Ariz., I do not have the luxury of deciding whether to take a "hard-line approach" in the enforcement of state and federal laws. I must enforce all of them. Arizona currently has two laws in the state constitution concerning illegal immigration, which I am enforcing.

As a result of my enforcement of these laws, my staff has investigated and arrested more than 50,000 illegal aliens on the streets and in the jails. We are proud of the work we have done to fight illegal immigration. My office has been responsible for finding and identifying 25 percent of the nation's illegal alien criminal offenders through the state-federal immigration law enforcement partnership known as the 287(g) program.

On the surface to the citizens in Arizona and the rest of the nation, it may appear that the findings and actions by our federal government are directed toward this sheriff and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. The truth of the matter is this is a sad time for America as a whole.

It seems to be politically driven that the federal government has moved to do everything it can to place the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office out of the illegal immigration enforcement business. In September of this year, President Obama addressed the media about me and my support of my state's anti-illegal immigration law, Senate Bill 1070, stating there was a great danger that citizens with Latino surnames could potentially be vulnerable.

Two days after two Arizona Democrat Latino congressmen and other Democrat legislators asked me to resign, the Justice Department held a news conference detailing the summarized facts of its investigation to the media, 30 minutes after advising us of these same generalizations. We still have not received the full investigation.

This news conference was on the one-year anniversary of the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, who was killed because of the Justice Department's failed "Fast and Furious" case. There's mounting political pressure for Attorney General Eric Holder to resign. There's more to this story.

The embattled sheriff

A group of clergy and other members of the community are calling for the resignation of Maricopa County (Ariz.) Sheriff Joe Arpaio as a result of a U.S. Department of Justice investigation.

The investigation found that the Sheriff's Office has "a pervasive culture of discriminatory bias against Latinos" under Arpaio that "reaches the highest levels of the agency."

The report accuses Arpaio and his deputies of engaging in "unconstitutional policing" by unfairly targeting Latinos for detention and arrest and retaliating against those who complain

Arpaio, 79, who calls himself "America's toughest sheriff" and has broad support in Maricopa County, has dismissed the criticism as being a politically motivated attack by the Obama administration.

"This is a sad day for America as a whole," Arpaio said after the report was released Dec. 15. "We are proud of the work we have done to fight illegal immigration."

Arpaio has until Jan. 4 to decide whether to cooperate with federal officials to implement changes to policies and procedures. If the Justice Department is dissatisfied with the sheriff's response, it will file a civil action to force compliance with federal law.
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Joe Arpaio is sheriff of Maricopa County, Ariz., which encompasses Phoenix and surrounding communities.

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