DHS: Just Say No to Arpaio

Notorious Sheriff Joe Arpaio is at it again. This time, he has told various local media outlets that he has signed a new agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and will continue participating in what is known as the 287(g) program, which, among other things, allows local law enforcement to become de facto immigration officers. If this claim is true (Arpaio has a history of dissembling and exaggerating, and DHS has been notably silent on what is transpiring), it is a deeply disturbing development.

The 287(g) program was originally conceived as way for local police and federal immigration authorities to work together to apprehend those in the country without authorization, have committed serious crimes and are a dangerous to the community. But under the Bush 287(g) program, Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Arpaio-wannabes have been given a long leash to target ordinary immigrants living and working in the U.S. without immigration papers, i.e: people who may have violated federal, civil immigration laws, but have committed no crimes. Such excesses have turned local communities into areas where immigrants – both legal and undocumented – are terrorized in a quest to drive them out of the jurisdiction. This creates conflict among other law enforcement agencies that are concerned about the impact that the agreement has on crime reporting since a portion of the community is afraid to work with the police.

In Arpaio’s case, his heavy-handed sweeps of Latino neighborhoods have led to widespread fear, deep divisions in the community, 3,500 lawsuits, a U.S. Department of Justice civil rights investigation, and a nationwide reputation as the Bull Connor of our generation.

According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice:

If DHS continues its relationship with Joe Arpaio, it is making a historic mistake by lending the full force and legitimacy of the federal government to a rogue cop certain to go down in history as a serial violator of civil rights and an enemy of the Latino community. The Bush Administration recklessly expanded the 287(g) program, coddling those like Arpaio who exploited it to terrorize immigrant communities. The Obama Administration must change course, pull the plug on bullies like Arpaio who prioritize the arrest of immigrant workers over the arrest of real criminals, and take a stand for policing strategies that help all members of our communities work with local law enforcement to reduce and prevent crime.

Ultimately, the only way America is going to have effective enforcement of its immigration laws is to reform them so that the laws are enforceable. The sooner the Administration moves on its commitment to making immigration reform a reality, the sooner the country will have what it truly wants – an immigration system that embodies America’s commitment to being both a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.