SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Former sheriff Joe Arpaio, convicted of violating a court order and racially profiling Latinos in Arizona, was granted a pardon by President Donald Trump. (Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr/cc)
'Law Is Dead in America': Presidential Pardon of Sheriff Joe Arpaio Widely Condemned
"Trump's pardon of Arpaio is an official endorsement on racial profiling and the abuse of immigrants and people of color."
Aug 26, 2017
Rights groups, immigration activists, legal experts, politicians, and others swiftly denounced President Donald Trump's decision to pardon the notorious former sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was awaiting sentencing after being convicted of criminal contempt for violating a court order that mandated he and his deputies stop racially profiling Latinos in Maricopa County, Arizona.
"This pardon sends a dangerous message that a law enforcement officer who abused his position of power and defied a court order can simply be excused by a president who himself clearly does not respect the law."
--Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
"Trump's pardon of Arpaio is an official endorsement on racial profiling and the abuse of immigrants and people of color," said United We Dream executive director Cristina Jimenez. "It is also a slap in the face of the people in Maricopa County who voted a racist, anti-immigrant sheriff out of his job."
"Instead of a dog whistle, President Trump picked up a bullhorn," said Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. "This pardon sends a dangerous message that a law enforcement officer who abused his position of power and defied a court order can simply be excused by a president who himself clearly does not respect the law."
"Once again, the president has acted in support of illegal, failed immigration enforcement practices that target people of color and that have been struck down by the courts," American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) deputy legal director Cecillia Wang, who sought the court injunction against Arpaio, told Reuters.
Many expressed concerns about the long-term legal implications of Trump's decision.
The announcment followed indications from Trump that he was considering a pardon. During a bizarre and long-winded speech in Arizona on Tuedsday night, the president said that he believed the former sheriff would be "just fine."
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders had said earlier in the week that Trump would make an announcement at an "appropriate time," but the pardon was announced Friday evening, as most media attention was focused the category 4 Hurricane Harvey ravaging the coasts of Texas and Louisiana.
The White House statement said: "Throughout his time as sheriff, Arpaio continued his life's work of protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration," and "after more than fifty years of admirable service to our nation, he is a worthy candidate for a presidential pardon."
Following the official announcement, Trump called Arpaio a "patriot" on Twitter.
Calling Trump "a big supporter of law enforcement," Arpaio, who has reportedly scheduled a press conference to discuss the pardon, told Reuters on Friday: "I have to thank the president for what he has done, that's for sure."
Later on Twitter, Arpaio did just that, in addition to tweeting a link for supporters to make donations toward his legal fees.
Serving as county sheriff for 24 years, Arpaio, who self-identifies as "America's toughest sheriff," gained national notoriety for his relentless campaign against undocumented immigrants. He has faced multiple legal battles for racially profiling Latinos, and violating county residents' constitutional rights. Although he was ousted in the election last year, Arpaio has become a prominent media and political figure, and stumped for Trump during his campaign for president.
The president's first pardon was met with strong and widespread condemnation online.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Rights groups, immigration activists, legal experts, politicians, and others swiftly denounced President Donald Trump's decision to pardon the notorious former sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was awaiting sentencing after being convicted of criminal contempt for violating a court order that mandated he and his deputies stop racially profiling Latinos in Maricopa County, Arizona.
"This pardon sends a dangerous message that a law enforcement officer who abused his position of power and defied a court order can simply be excused by a president who himself clearly does not respect the law."
--Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
"Trump's pardon of Arpaio is an official endorsement on racial profiling and the abuse of immigrants and people of color," said United We Dream executive director Cristina Jimenez. "It is also a slap in the face of the people in Maricopa County who voted a racist, anti-immigrant sheriff out of his job."
"Instead of a dog whistle, President Trump picked up a bullhorn," said Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. "This pardon sends a dangerous message that a law enforcement officer who abused his position of power and defied a court order can simply be excused by a president who himself clearly does not respect the law."
"Once again, the president has acted in support of illegal, failed immigration enforcement practices that target people of color and that have been struck down by the courts," American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) deputy legal director Cecillia Wang, who sought the court injunction against Arpaio, told Reuters.
Many expressed concerns about the long-term legal implications of Trump's decision.
The announcment followed indications from Trump that he was considering a pardon. During a bizarre and long-winded speech in Arizona on Tuedsday night, the president said that he believed the former sheriff would be "just fine."
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders had said earlier in the week that Trump would make an announcement at an "appropriate time," but the pardon was announced Friday evening, as most media attention was focused the category 4 Hurricane Harvey ravaging the coasts of Texas and Louisiana.
The White House statement said: "Throughout his time as sheriff, Arpaio continued his life's work of protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration," and "after more than fifty years of admirable service to our nation, he is a worthy candidate for a presidential pardon."
Following the official announcement, Trump called Arpaio a "patriot" on Twitter.
Calling Trump "a big supporter of law enforcement," Arpaio, who has reportedly scheduled a press conference to discuss the pardon, told Reuters on Friday: "I have to thank the president for what he has done, that's for sure."
Later on Twitter, Arpaio did just that, in addition to tweeting a link for supporters to make donations toward his legal fees.
Serving as county sheriff for 24 years, Arpaio, who self-identifies as "America's toughest sheriff," gained national notoriety for his relentless campaign against undocumented immigrants. He has faced multiple legal battles for racially profiling Latinos, and violating county residents' constitutional rights. Although he was ousted in the election last year, Arpaio has become a prominent media and political figure, and stumped for Trump during his campaign for president.
The president's first pardon was met with strong and widespread condemnation online.
Rights groups, immigration activists, legal experts, politicians, and others swiftly denounced President Donald Trump's decision to pardon the notorious former sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was awaiting sentencing after being convicted of criminal contempt for violating a court order that mandated he and his deputies stop racially profiling Latinos in Maricopa County, Arizona.
"This pardon sends a dangerous message that a law enforcement officer who abused his position of power and defied a court order can simply be excused by a president who himself clearly does not respect the law."
--Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
"Trump's pardon of Arpaio is an official endorsement on racial profiling and the abuse of immigrants and people of color," said United We Dream executive director Cristina Jimenez. "It is also a slap in the face of the people in Maricopa County who voted a racist, anti-immigrant sheriff out of his job."
"Instead of a dog whistle, President Trump picked up a bullhorn," said Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. "This pardon sends a dangerous message that a law enforcement officer who abused his position of power and defied a court order can simply be excused by a president who himself clearly does not respect the law."
"Once again, the president has acted in support of illegal, failed immigration enforcement practices that target people of color and that have been struck down by the courts," American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) deputy legal director Cecillia Wang, who sought the court injunction against Arpaio, told Reuters.
Many expressed concerns about the long-term legal implications of Trump's decision.
The announcment followed indications from Trump that he was considering a pardon. During a bizarre and long-winded speech in Arizona on Tuedsday night, the president said that he believed the former sheriff would be "just fine."
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders had said earlier in the week that Trump would make an announcement at an "appropriate time," but the pardon was announced Friday evening, as most media attention was focused the category 4 Hurricane Harvey ravaging the coasts of Texas and Louisiana.
The White House statement said: "Throughout his time as sheriff, Arpaio continued his life's work of protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration," and "after more than fifty years of admirable service to our nation, he is a worthy candidate for a presidential pardon."
Following the official announcement, Trump called Arpaio a "patriot" on Twitter.
Calling Trump "a big supporter of law enforcement," Arpaio, who has reportedly scheduled a press conference to discuss the pardon, told Reuters on Friday: "I have to thank the president for what he has done, that's for sure."
Later on Twitter, Arpaio did just that, in addition to tweeting a link for supporters to make donations toward his legal fees.
Serving as county sheriff for 24 years, Arpaio, who self-identifies as "America's toughest sheriff," gained national notoriety for his relentless campaign against undocumented immigrants. He has faced multiple legal battles for racially profiling Latinos, and violating county residents' constitutional rights. Although he was ousted in the election last year, Arpaio has become a prominent media and political figure, and stumped for Trump during his campaign for president.
The president's first pardon was met with strong and widespread condemnation online.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.