AZ Sheriff Calls "Illegals" Diseased And Dirty

PHOENIX, AZ - Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is making big news again for his office's controversial immigration enforcement efforts.

He made an appearance Monday on CNN alongside an official from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The official questioned Arpaio's office's criteria for detaining a suspected illegal immigrant, saying Arpaio's sweeps "aren't consistent with our priorities as an agency," which he said were "to remove serious criminal aliens from the streets of Arizona."

During a heated debate between CNN anchor Rick Sanchez and Arpaio, Sanchez compared Arpaio to "Bull Connor," accusing him of violating the US Constitution and seeking publicity.

Watch the video:

Last week, critics celebrated when Arpaio announced the US Homeland Security Department would no longer authorize his "crime suppression sweeps," but Arpaio quickly announced Wednesday that he would continue enforcing immigration laws under a little-known U.S. law. At his press conference, he said he would "bus illegals to the border" and handed out copies of the federal statute that he said allowed him to continue enforcing immigration. A reporter confronted Arpaio soon after arguing that the law he cited is nonexistent.

Friday, GQ Magazine published an in-depth interview with Arpaio in which he talked about his belief that mass immigration will lead to reconquista, a takeover of the southwestern region of America by Mexico. He also told GQ,

All these people that come over, they could come with disease. There's no control, no health checks or anything. They check fruits and vegetables, how come they don't check people? No one talks about that! They're all dirty. I sent out 200 inmates into the desert, they picked up 18 tons of garbage that they bring in -- the baby diapers and all that. Where's everybody who wants to preserve the desert?

Arpaio also appeared on a CBS affiliate channel Monday with this explanation of how his officers determine who to stop: "Certain criteria. No identification. Look like they just came from Mexico, and they admit it, so that's enough."

For months, Arpaio has been fending off accusations that his officers engage in racial profiling when conducting stops and sweeps. His office is under an investigation by the US Justice Department for alleged civil rights violations, which Arpaio has repeatedly denied. Arpaio's admission of targeting people who "look like they just came from Mexico" seems to vindicate the charges of racial profiling the Justice Department is investigating. A MCSO spokesperson said Arpaio was "overwhelmed" when he spoke at the CBS station and that "appearance is just one factor" taken into account.

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Comments

[jamiefoxer]

Regardless of the fact that he's out and out a racist (and he doesn't hide his anti-Mexican fears), I do think he has one point that shouldn't be dismissed just because HE'S a racist.

What checks DO we have on the spread of disease from poverty-stricken Mexicans crossing our border and the garbage they leave behind in the desert? What enforcement measures do we have to punish those that break our littering laws? What enforcement measures do we have in place to hamper the spread of viruses?

I sympathize with poor Latin Americans (being one myself) crossing the border in search for a better life...but...where is the accountability for those Latin Americans who, in the process of coming over here, violate health codes and littering laws? Just thinking we should be balanced in our approach to the immigration problem.

[hpobserver]

"Look like they just came from Mexico"???

That's the criterion for stopping and checking someone?

Hispanics are not just illegal and legal immigrants. And Hispanic U.S. citizens are not just naturalized or 1st generation born in the U.S. They can be 3rd, 4th, 5th generation U.S. citizens or more. In some areas, such as Texas, Hispanics have been around from the 16th century as control of their land passed alternatively under Spain, Mexico, and other regimes. Which means some Hispanics' ancestors may have been in the U.S. long before this Sheriff's own ancestors.

Even if the (flawed) argument is that only citizens have rights, what happens after he subjects a person to this treatment and then finds out he/she is a citizen? Can he give them back their rights?

[greyhound2]

The Sheriff is in the front lines of an invasion. Sanchez, a hispanic and obviously biased, sits safely in Atlanta and doesn't have to deal with it. If the Feds, who claim jurisdiction on immigration, had enforced the laws which have been on the books for years, there would be no immigration problem and the Sheriff would be able to deal with only the usual problems faced by other Sheriff's around the country.

[deezus]

That about sums it up.

[jsgaetano]

The only thing stopping the Sheriff from focusing on real crime, instead of his racist pet project, is himself and his failed conservative ideology.

When they throw him in prison, I hope he gets to stay in his tent city.

[bronceye]

When did "illegal" come to mean condoned?

[docallen001]

He is quoted in this piece as stating: "mass immigration will lead to reconquista, a takeover of the southwestern region of America by Mexico." I think that his comment shows he is out of touch. I took a management course in the early 90s and the theme was Population 2020. There were several presentations on the impact of immigration into the US. One of them was that by the year 2020 with the birth rates of the Hispanics and non Hispanics, the Hispanics would be able to politically control southwestern US.

[OliverTwist]

Strange management course. Watch out for assignments of birth rates to ethnic groups. Such behaviors change over time and with changing circumstances. Birth rates changed dramatically for German and Irish and Italian and other immigrant Americans.

[supertim]

One Mother’s Suffering, Joe Arpaio’s Bigotry, and Stories of Racial Profiling by the MCSO

"But she says it's too scary to venture back into the work force. She's been so traumatized by her arrest and her time in MCSO custody that she sees a counselor through a local church and takes anti-anxiety medication. That's along with medication for a stomach ailment caused by pain meds she takes for the soreness in her jaw. The jaw she says was busted by a ski-masked MCSO deputy."

http://tiny.cc/BzsHF

[Twiggy269]

maybe she should have tried to get into america legally instead of running across the desert in the middle of the night?
I'm all for immigration. I think we need open immigration. But that means people come through legally. Everyone gets checked at the border. If you're not A. a convicted criminal, or B. a carrier of infectious disease you should get in. But I also believe you MUST end the welfare state before you have open immigration. We all know who would want to come here if we keep this free government money gravy train rolling and open up immigration. We'll just have more and more people looking for handouts.

If you subsidize it, there will be more.

Last note. Give me a break about your little heart felt story about an evil ski masked police officer breaking some poor innocent ladies jaw. You can't use isolated incidents and paint a whole group a certain way because of it. I'm pretty sure that qualifies you as a racist if you're talking about blacks and not cops.

[KingCranky]

This quote of yours

"You can't use isolated incidents and paint a whole group a certain way because of it."

Is completely contradicted by this quote of yours

"We all know who would want to come here if we keep this free government money gravy train rolling and open up immigration. We'll just have more and more people looking for handouts."

Back in the '1970's, I worked in onion fields with undocumented laborers, and they're FAR more productive and positive for our society than anyone whining about "protect our borders".

[veem]

The sheriff in Maricopa county is a media hog that will do anything (legal or not) to keep in front of the media. No one seems to have the courage to stand up to him, This man is a bully and proud of it.

[pfrogger]

if federal law was violated, this person should be charged.
as he himself has said, he will continue to do what he has done until he is charged by the Feds.
thus if the Feds do not charge him, then he will continue his current actions.
so when the Feds do not charge him, as seems more and more likely, he will continue to conduct his "sweeps" and violate constitutional rights.