ABC 15
June 15, 2012

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio shares his initial thoughts on the breaking news that the US government will stop deporting illegal immigrants and give work permits to younger illegals that meet certain criteria.

Here are a few excerpted responses:
“Well first of all, seems to be politically motivated. We have out [SB] 1070 Supreme Court ruling coming out maybe Monday, and here’s an election year. I would rather see the president let congress decide what to do with this issue and other illegal immigration issues.”

“We’re still going to enforce all those illegal immigration laws, state. So if this is not a law, we won’t enforce it…By the way, this is up to 30 years old, they’re not kids. And also if you have a couple misdemeanors you still can get by with it. So it looks to me like again, another pathway to citizenship, which I believe the president wants.”

“The bigger picture is, as the president keeps executive orders, I think the people from Mexico are gonna feel, “Hey come on in and we’ll get by with it.” But it won’t happen in this county. They will be arrested.”

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