Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is definitely one of the most despicable elected officials in the country. He’s been notoriously anti-immigrant — and prides himself on it. The tide may be turning, finally.
Via ABC 15 in Phoenix, at 10 AM MT/noon ET, the United States Department of Justice will announce the results of its investigation of Arpaio:
Federal authorities plan to announce their findings in a civil rights investigation of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio accused of using discriminatory tactics in its signature immigration patrols.
The U.S. Justice Department has been investigating Arpaio’s office since June 2008 for alleged discrimination, unconstitutional searches and seizures, and for having an English-only policy in his jails that discriminates against people with limited English skills.
The self-proclaimed toughest sheriff in America has been a national political fixture who has built his reputation on jailing inmates in tents and dressing them in pink underwear, selling himself to voters as unceasingly tough on crime and pushing the bounds of how far local police can go to confront illegal immigration.
The federal agency had previously provided little details of its probe, but Arpaio believed the inquiry was focused on the 20 immigration patrols known as “sweeps” that his office has conducted since January 2008.
Stay tuned. We’ll be monitoring this closely and will have updates as soon as the DOJ releases its findings.