Among those celebrating the conviction of Crooked Joe Arpaio, formerly “America’s Toughest Sheriff” and one of Donald Trump’s earliest supporters, are the members of the Latino and immigrant communities terrorized by the “bad hombre” former Maricopa County sheriff and his deputies during his decades-long campaign of terror:
Salvador Reza, a community organizer and civil rights activist who has battled Arpaio over the years, said the community he represents is "very happy" about the verdict, but "not completely satisfied because the culture of racial profiling that Arpaio created still exists."
He'd like to see Arpaio sent to the county jail to face the sort of conditions he imposed on pretrial detainees and inmates.
"I know people are going to say that he's elderly and he spent his life in law enforcement, but this is what happens when you disobey a federal judge," Reza said. "They should make him wear pink underwear and eat the foods that he served to prisoners."
Arpaio’s criminal contempt of court conviction marks the end of a ten year legal battle over Arpaio’s racist war against brown Arizonans. As America’s Voice notes, “Maricopa County suffered under Arpaio, shelling out hundreds of millions of dollars to defend him against countless lawsuits over the years. Arpaio, meanwhile, in his dogged determination to hunt down people of color, left 40,000 felony warrants un-served and 400 sex crimes un-investigated.” But these are the “law and order” folks, right?
Others from within the community told the Phoenix News Times—which has long covered Arpaio’s crimes and shenanigans—that they had “mixed feelings” over the conviction. While some of Arpaio’s victims included influential political enemies, others were hardworking undocumented immigrants who were swept up during his unconstitutional workplace raids. Among them was Guadalupe, arrested by Arpaio and one of the first undocumented immigrants deported by Trump:
For eight years, Guadalupe García de Rayos had checked in at the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement office here, a requirement since she was caught using a fake Social Security Number number during a raid in 2008 at a water park where she worked.
Every year since then, she has walked in and out of the meetings after a brief review of her case and some questions.
But not this year.
On Wednesday, immigration agents arrested Ms. Rayos, 35. Despite efforts by her family and others who tried to block, legally and physically, her removal from the United States, she was deported Thursday to Nogales, Mexico, the same city where she crossed into the United States 21 years ago.
"I feel relief and excitement because this is a community victory, but I'm also reflecting on all the pain and trauma that this person caused so many immigrant families like mine,” said Viridiana Hernandez, executive director of the Center for Neighborhood Leadership. "When my dad's work was raided, we went into hiding, we abandoned our home, he was unemployed for years. Today, my family, like thousands of other families, will get some peace, they will get some justice.”
The migrant justice advocacy group Puente Arizona said Arpaio's guilty verdict was a "historic" marker in the organization's fight against the "cruel and racist" former sheriff.
"The community has always known Arpaio is guilty," Puente said in a release. "He has always been guilty of racism and hatred, guilty of breaking families apart, disappearing thousands of people from their communities, and of a gross abuse of his powers. Unfortunately, today some of Sheriff Arpaio’s anti-immigrant practices are still in place."
Puente's Executive Director Carlos Garcia said in the statement that unfortunately, Arpaio's toxic legacy will endure.
“As long as ICE is in the jails, Arpaio is still in control," he said. Garcia called on Arpaio's successor, Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone, to end all collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“No amount of money can repay for what he did to me," said Susan Schuerman, who received a $500,000 settlement from Maricopa County following Arpaio’s attack on her and the county supervisor she worked for. "He ruined my career, he ruined my health, and he certainly took two and a half years out of my life that I'd like back. I'm glad he got something, but I don't think it was anywhere near harsh enough. I feel sorry for the county taxpayers."
"He's a lying, conniving, demented old man," she continued. "Karma's a bitch."