Mr. Arpaio hasn’t just been a favorite of the Republicans. The Department of Homeland Security has long been an ally and enabler of Mr. Arpaio through its local-policing programs: 287(g) and Se Communities. On Thursday, hours after the Perez letter was released, it finally ended the sheriff’s 287(g) jail-monitoring program and denied him access to Se Communities data. It should have done this long ago; it’s hard to imagine that Immigration and Customs Enforcement could have been blind for so long to the oppression in Maricopa County. It should not have taken a three-year investigation for the homeland security secretary, Janet Napolitano, to sever ties with Sheriff Arpaio. If that is what is required for action, then we fear for those living in other jurisdictions that may be just as heedless of immigrants’ rights and the Constitution — just quieter about it. – NYTimes 12.17.2011
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