Jerry Sheridan said he was handcuffed due to a court order stemming from Latino profiling by Arpaio.
PHOENIX — Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan, Joe Arpaio’s former second-in-command, says he will help Donald Trump carry out mass deportations, but there are limits to what Sheridan can do.
Mr. Sheridan, who was sworn in on New Year’s Day, said in an interview on “Sunday Square Off” this weekend, “If we could, if it was constitutional and legal, we would absolutely do it.”
President Trump has promised to begin mass deportations of 11 million illegal immigrants on Inauguration Day, just two weeks away.
Mr. Sheridan’s efforts to support Mr. Trump will be handcuffed by a past he knows well. It’s a court order against the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office more than a decade ago that stems from a federal judge’s ruling that Arpaio racially profiled Latino residents.
“We have a court order that says we cannot get involved in illegal immigration matters unless we commit a (state) crime,” Sheridan said.
The scope, cost and legality of President Trump’s plan are unclear.
“We’re all just watching law enforcement and watching to see what happens next,” Sheridan said.
Sheridan said any support for Trump’s deportation would be limited to current practices. Alert Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officers When prisoners who may be deported are released.
Murray Snow, the judge in the MCSO case, said both Arpaio and Sheridan “lied.” [his] face,” he spoke about his efforts to end racial profiling.
Arpaio would later be found guilty of contempt of court for ignoring a judge’s orders. President Trump granted Arpaio a pardon that exempts him from any punishment.
Sheridan’s primary responsibility as sheriff is to run the jail in one of the largest counties in the country. He said there are empty beds in prisons, but there aren’t enough detention officers to supervise them.
Sheridan likes to remind listeners that he’s not Joe Arpaio, but in a move reminiscent of Arpaio’s now-demolished Tent City, Sheridan is a lightweight quonset that houses certain inmates. I’m planning to build a hut.
He says this is a way to keep drugs out of prisons.
Sheridan defeated Democrat Tyler Kampf in the November election.
