After thousands rallied in Phoenix, AZ to support immigrants and loudly denounce Trump’s attempts to pardon White supremacy, President Trump did it anyway. On August 25, he pardoned former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was convicted for criminal contempt for disobeying a federal court judge’s order to stop the unconstitutional practice of detaining individuals based solely on suspicion about their immigration status.

The President of the National Bar Association responded by writing, "Donald Trump’s pardon of former Maricopa County Sheriff Joseph Arpaio, one of the most blatant bigots of this era, marks a dark day in the history of our nation. Arpaio, a paragon of hatred, has for decades initiated an aggressive assault on the rights and liberties of minorities generally, and Latinos specifically."

The statement continues, "He was convicted, but not yet sentenced, for criminal contempt for failure to obey a federal judge’s order to cease unconstitutional detentions and racial profiling of Latinos. Trump’s pardon of these flagrant violations without following the established presidential pardon process will embolden extremists and elevate Arpaio as the poster child for the anti-immigrant and racist movement that is sweeping our nation."

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