We are pleased at the Department of Justice investigation into civil rights violations by Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s department, confirming what we have been saying about Arpaio. We repeat our call for Arpaio to resign, and apologize to violent crime victims whose cases were not even investigated, and the many thousands of Latinos who were unjustly targeted by Arpaio’s police through racial profiling. We also call on Arpaio to leave the Republican Party, the party of Abraham Lincoln. A majority of Republicans support immigration reform including a path to legalization, and most Republicans who are opposed to immigration reform do not share Arpaio’s extremist values. Arpaio’s affiliation with the Republican Party hurts our chances in the next election and we’d like him to leave.
We also call on the presidential candidates who embraced Joe Arpaio to now renounce Arpaio. In particular, Rick Perry sought and received Arpaio’s endorsement and campaigned together in New Hampshire. Rick Perry has also adapted extreme views on immigration involving mass deportations. We repeat our call for Rick Perry to end his campaign, as we do not believe he is electable, and Arpaio’s involvement hurts the GOP. We also call on Michelle Bachmann, who also has called for mass deportations, to renounce Joe Arpaio, whose endorsement she sought. Mitt Romney also sought Arpaio’s endorsement and has taken an enforcement only stance, though less extreme than the other candidates. We would like to know whether each of these candidates approve of such extreme policing measures, such as targeting Latino drivers for traffic stops, arrests for minor traffic violations instead of writing a ticket, etc.
Joe Apraio and his department is a poster child for why police should not become involved in immigration enforcement. The massive diversion of resources in Arpaio’s department detracted from fighting crime, and opened the door to racial profiling. Official crime statistics showed that from 2002 to 2009 violent crime rose in Maricopa County by 58% while violent crime fell elsewhere in Arizona. Unfortunately, Arpaio popularized the notion that more enforcement is all that is needed to resolve our nation’s immigration problems, rather than address the root cause, which is a broken immigration system. Numerous credible studies show racial profiling of Latinos and other minorities is already a problem, and requiring state and local police enforce immigration law only encourages more racial profiling.”
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About Us – Cafe Con Leche Republicans is a national organization of Republicans who welcome “New Americans”, defined as immigrants and descendants of recent immigrants who are going through the process of acculturation. Our mission is to make America and particularly the GOP, more welcoming to “New Immigrants” through political activism, “in-reach” and education within the Republican Party, and lobbying government to adopt more immigrant friendly policies. We also seek to bring more conservative and moderate “New Americans” to the Republican Party. This combination of efforts will strengthen the Republican Party, and lead more Republicans to embrace more welcoming policies for immigrants and their families. Cafe Con Leche Republicans has chapters in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania.
