Thread: Ruben Navarrette: Sheriff Joe runs off the rails

Ruben Navarrette Jr.
Sheriff Joe runs off the rails
By Ruben Navarrette
2:00 a.m. October 14, 2009


Joe Arpaio, who calls himself “America's toughest sheriff,â€

Ruben, you need to back up and check your civil liberties laws. In our country, you're innocent until proven guilty. There is no evidence whatsoever that Joe has violated anyone else's civil rights, there is no evidence whatsoever that he racially profiles "Hispanics" or anyone else, in fact, he recently arrested a big gang of Chinese illegal aliens.

Yeah, I know, it was a slow news day for you. Nothing else to write about, huh? No war in iraq, no war in Afghanistan, no growing unemployment in 49 of our 50 states, no rising debt and no means to pay for it, no 5% growth in home foreclosures, no tripling of the federal deficit, huh? Oh wait! We have all that going on, but you're nasty articles about Sheriff Joe who's trying to stop illegal immigration and get Americans their jobs, wages and home back in that order.

Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Shame on You.

Sheriff Joe is an elected official. He works for the people who elected him, not Ruben Navarrette or the federal government. He must be doing something right - like actually enforcing the law - or he wouldn't be elected time and again. "America's Toughest Sheriff" - you can just take out the Toughest part - he's America's Sheriff.

Sheriff Joe is not going to let a little thing like the rule of law get in the way of his latest stab at self-aggrandizement. He vows to press ahead, using state laws against smuggling to continue to apprehend illegal immigrants. And if federal authorities won't take custody of his prisoners, he said, he'll drive them to the U.S.-Mexico border himself.

Janet Napolitano doesn't make the laws, Congress does. She may think she can change the rules, but the laws still stand until Congress changes them.

There will those who say that it's fine to profile Hispanics because most illegal immigrants in the United States are thought to be from Spanish-speaking countries such as Mexico, Guatemala or El Salvador. But the inverse isn't true. Most illegal immigrants may be Hispanic, but most Hispanics aren't illegal immigrants.

OK then why the whining about ID checks? If you're not illegal, then you shouldn't have a problem. Illegals should be deported.

Sheriff Joe is not going to let a little thing like the rule of law get in the way of his latest stab at self-aggrandizement.

Really Ruben? You were able to write this with a straight face? It's ok for illegals to ignore a little thing like the rule of law to get what they want, but Sheriff Joe has to walk a tightrope?