Defeated Arpaio has no regrets about immigration crackdowns

PHOENIX — The outgoing sheriff of metro Phoenix says he was saddened by his defeat after 24 years in office, but expressed no regrets about launching dozens of immigration crackdowns that made him a national political figure but ultimately led to his downfall. “It’s just sad to see me go.” The 84-year-old will end his tenure as Phoenix’s top law enforcer with a racial profiling verdict that discredited his immigration patrols and a criminal contempt-of-court charge against him for prolonging the patrols 17 months after a judge ordered them stopped. Arpaio remains unapologetic in his decision 10 years ago to take on illegal immigration, despite the $48 million in taxpayer-funded legal costs from the profiling case and the misdemeanor charge that could expose him to up to six months in jail if he’s convicted. We did our job,” the sheriff said, adding that he is the “trophy for Hispanic groups coming after me.” In the end, courts stripped away Arpaio’s immigration powers two years ago, and his role in the immigration debate since has consisted of speaking out publicly against federal border policies. Lydia Guzman, a Latino civil rights advocate and longtime Arpaio critic, said the sheriff’s claim that he has no regrets about targeting immigrants doesn’t ring true.