Arpaio in Trouble

               It’s no secret that Sheriff Joe Arpaio does things a different way than most law enforcement officials. Arpaio has been nicknamed the “World’s Toughest Sheriff” and relishes the title and does a lot to make sure he keeps it. However Arpaio may have taken things a little too far in recently because he is facing a lawsuit asserting a “pattern of unlawful discrimination” by law enforcement officials here claims that Latinos at the county jail were often referred to as “stupid” or addressed with a coarse ethnic slur. It also says that an e-mail circulated among jail officers contained a photograph of a Chihuahua in a swimsuit, over the words, “A rare photo of a Mexican Navy Seal.” The suit also asserts that Latinos were often stopped and searched for appearing disheveled or dirty or if it was deemed that too many people were in the back seat. Some were detained because they were said to have looked nervous or avoided eye contact. Statistics do shows that Latino Americans in the United States are more likely to be stopped in Maricopa County than their non-Latino counterparts.

               Sheriff Joe Arpaio has waged war on Illegal immigration and has conducted countless raids and has deported hundreds of illegal immigrants back to Mexico. In a 32-page complaint, the Justice Department contends that he and his deputies waged a campaign against illegal immigration through sweeps of homes and workplaces, and in traffic stops and jail practices aimed at Latinos, regardless of status or citizenship. Sheriff Arpaio also sought to silence his opponents including lawyers and judges through retaliation, at times filing lawsuits that were later found to be baseless, the complaint says. Sheriff Arpaio has said things that have not made him a popular figure among the Latino community and has had his fair share of discrepancies against their community as well; however one cannot deny that he has gotten results. Since Arpaio took office illegal immigration has dropped significantly, while there is still work to be done, Arpaio is the best man for the job in my eyes. This lawsuit, judging by the standoff, will most likely go to trail which will hinder his progress in the war on illegal immigration which will hurt both sides of the argument. Those who say he is a bad sheriff are only making him worse, hopefully this lawsuit is resolved in a way that is expedient and painless for both sides, however that isn’t very likely unfortunately.