Trump pardons former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio
US President Donald Trump has pardoned Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, who had been convicted of criminal contempt.
Mr
Arpaio, 85, was found guilty after he defied a court order to stop
traffic patrols targeting suspected immigrants. He was due to be
sentenced in October.
The president had hinted at the pardon at a rally in Phoenix on Tuesday.
Thanking the president, Mr Arpaio said his conviction was "a political witch hunt by holdovers in the Obama justice department".
"Thank you.... for seeing my conviction for what it is," tweeted Mr Arpaio.
"I'm not going away," he said, while declining to say whether he would run for sheriff again.
Mr Trump has frequently praised the sheriff who is known for his controversial hard-line stance on immigration.
Mr Arpaio frequently appeared on the campaign trail with Mr Trump in 2016.
"Arpaio's
life and career, which began at the age of 18 when he enlisted in the
military after the outbreak of the Korean War, exemplify selfless public
service," Mr Trump said in a statement announcing the pardon.
"Throughout his time as sheriff, Arpaio continued his life's work of
protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal
immigration.
"Sheriff Joe Arpaio is now 85 years old, and after
more than 50 years of admirable service to our nation, he is a worthy
candidate for a presidential pardon."
Joe Arpaio, who styled
himself as "America's toughest sheriff", rose to national prominence for
his sweeps of undocumented immigrants in Hispanic communities, and for
detaining Spanish-speakers under suspicion of being undocumented
migrants.
But the policeman was found guilty of violating a 2011 order to stop detaining migrants.
He
frequently appeared on the campaign trail with Mr Trump and was among
his earliest supporters - describing him as "the law-and-order
candidate".
Mr Arpaio, born in Springfield, Massachusetts, could have faced six months in jail at his sentencing in October.
He
served in the US military before he became a police officer - where he
quickly acquired a reputation for his anti-immigration stance and tough
enforcement tactics.
Mr Arpaio famously forced the prisoners to
wear pink underwear and socks and old-fashioned black-and-white striped
prison jumpsuits. The inmates lived outdoors while enduring sweltering
Arizona desert temperatures.
He also revived chain gangs, including a voluntary one for female prisoners.
BBC
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