Is Arizona's Sheriff Joe a racist?

The Justice Department is accusing tough-guy Sheriff Joe Arpaio of taking his hardline crusade against Latino immigrants too far

Controversial Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio
(Image credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz., was handed an ultimatum on Thursday: Clean up his department's rampant and illegal racial discrimination or the federal government will see him in court. After a three-year investigation, the U.S. Justice Department accused the controversial immigrant-hunting sheriff of illegally jailing scores of Hispanic residents, often after trumped-up traffic stops; abusing Spanish-speaking inmates and denying them basic rights; and retaliating against critics. Arpaio shot back that the Obama administration was just using him as a "whipping boy," and supporter Gov. Rick Perry (R-Texas) darkly warned, "I would suggest to you that these people are out after Sheriff Joe." Do Arpaio's fans have a case, or is self-proclaimed "America's Toughest Sheriff" really just "America's Most Racist Sheriff"?

Racism is just the tip of the iceberg: The DOJ's damning report confirms what we already suspected, says Lucy Steigerwald in Reason: Sheriff Joe is an "awful person" whose brutal tactics indiscriminately target Latinos, including U.S citizens. And while he excels at violating Latinos' "civil rights and the Constitution," Arpaio is "really awful at following up on serious criminal complaints," like 400 sex-abuse reports, mostly involving Latino victims. "Schadenfreude should reign throughout the land" at this racist jerk getting busted.

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