Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio will be part of the Arizona welcoming committee when Donald Trump heads to Phoenix for an immigration speech Wednesday. Arpaio, a notorious anti-immigration hardliner, easily won a primary battle Tuesday, but his Democratic rival is polling ahead when it comes to the general election in November. Arpaio’s been on the job for 23 years and he’s been at the center of the immigration debate in Arizona since the early 2000s. However, for the last eight years, he’s been under investigation for racial profiling. The Justice Department is considering whether to bring Arpaio up on criminal contempt and perjury charges for ignoring court orders to stop targeting Latinos in his county. How might Arpaio’s support of Trump play into the presidential campaign?
KCRW
