Bob Barr’s Republican congressional campaign announced Thursday that he is scheduled to appear at a fundraiser next month with Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a lightning rod in the debate over immigration enforcement.
Nicknamed “America’s Toughest Sheriff,” Arpaio’s aggressive tactics for cracking down on illegal immigration have won him praise and criticism from across the country.
In 2012, the U.S. Justice Department filed suit against Arpaio, alleging his Maricopa County office had discriminated against Latinos with its enforcement efforts. A year later, a federal judge ruled in a separate suit that Arpaio’s office had singled out Hispanics. The Obama administration has also stripped Arpaio’s office of authority to help enforce federal immigration laws through the 287(g) program.
Arpaio is also known for using chain gangs to provide free labor for communities and for making his inmates wear pink underwear and pink handcuffs. His office has also won praise for starting rehabilitation programs for detainees.
Barr’s Feb. 6 fundraiser is set to include a private reception and barbecue dinner at a firearms store in Smyrna.
Please go to myajc.com to see more developments.
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