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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    America's 'Toughest Sheriff' and Federal Immigration Law

    Sheriff Joe Arpaio became famous for holding detainees in tents under the blazing Arizona sun and for making inmates wear pink underwear. But it's his focus on enforcing immigration law by racially profiling Latinos that's led to a class action lawsuit scheduled to open tomorrow in a federal courtroom in Phoenix.

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    By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    Sheriff Joe Arpaio became famous for holding detainees in tents under the blazing Arizona sun and for making inmates wear pink underwear. But it's his focus on enforcing immigration law by racially profiling Latinos that's led to a class action lawsuit scheduled to open tomorrow in a federal courtroom in Phoenix. The Maricopa County Sheriff is the darling of immigration hard-liners and the target of the Obama Administration, which has filed a separate civil rights action. But the case also illustrates the chaos caused by 26 years of inaction by Congress and successive administrations in Washington. We hear what Arpaio symbolizes for both sides of a polarized nation and the potential legal consequences for immigration reform.

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Trial
    1. 0:00Massive Bomb Hits Syrian President's Defense Team
    2. 7:22America's 'Toughest Sheriff' and Federal Immigration LawYou’re reading this
    3. 42:49Giant Chunk of Ice Breaks off Greenland Glacier
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Caitlin Shamberg

      KCRW

    • Sonya Geis with wavy brown hair wearing a black dress with red accents and decorative earrings against a white background.

      Sonya Geis

      Senior Managing Editor

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Evan George

      Director of Content, News

    • KCRW placeholder

      JJ Hensley

      Arizona Republic

    • KCRW placeholder

      Cecillia Wang

      American Civil Liberties Union

    • KCRW placeholder

      Jessica Vaughan

      Center for Immigration Studies

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Trial
    1. 0:00Massive Bomb Hits Syrian President's Defense Team
    2. 7:22America's 'Toughest Sheriff' and Federal Immigration LawYou’re reading this
    3. 42:49Giant Chunk of Ice Breaks off Greenland Glacier
    Back to To the Point