"When people talk about immigrants, they never see what's behind us in our countries," one immigrant said. Sanders added, "We all need to stand up and put an end to these egregious human rights abuses." "That kind of attitude toward our fellow human beings is completely unacceptable, especially in elected officials and those who would seek public office." "Sheriff Arpaio did not even attempt to explain or excuse his inhumane treatment of people of color-not that he could," she continued. In a press statement after the visit, Sanders said what she saw and heard "was very disturbing." "We hope that he will be president, but he and I will be around no matter what happens," she said, "and we will be working on your behalf." Sanders' visit came ahead of her husband's rally in Phoenix Tuesday afternoon. Sanders promised the families that she "won't forget them" and said that if her husband gets elected he will work to stop deportations. We do it because we are fleeing violence and corruption in our countries." "We don't do it because we want space here. Later, Sanders met with children whose parents were arrested and detained in Maricopa County. Sanders said he also "bragged about removing meat from all their meals and having chain gangs."ĭuring the tour, Sanders "wandered through the bunks chatting with inmates in English and Spanish," the New Times reports. "It's 135 degrees in Iraq," Arpaio quipped. "We're out here just for a few minutes, and it's hard. Sanders challenged whether the arrangement was humane. In fact, all of Arpaio's prisoners haven't been convicted. "The men and women out fighting for our country-they're living in tents. However, the sheriff did admit that temperatures in the outdoor complex, which houses roughly 8,000 detainees, can reach as high as 130degF.Īccording to the Phoenix New Times, when asked about the conditions, Arpaio responded: Later, in 2013, Arpaio was found guilty by a federal court of racial profiling and violating citizens' constitutional rights.
In 2011, a Justice Department investigation found that Maricopa County Sheriff's office "engages in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional policing" and "engages in racial profiling of Latinos unlawfully stops, detains, and arrests Latinos and unlawfully retaliates against individuals who complain about or criticize" the county's policies. Reportedly, when Sanders asked Arpaio if he was "supportive of racial profiling," he refused to "get into that because of legal issues."
Arpaio had notoriously imprisoned immigrants snatched up under that statute at Tent City. "I asked about racial profiling, 'Papers Please,' and deputizing civilians to round up undocumented people," she said, referring to the 2010 law which empowered local police to check immigration status at traffic stops. "I asked him several questions to which he had no answers," Sanders wrote online after the visit. Jane O'Meara Sanders, social worker and wife of Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, on Sunday side-stepped the campaign circus to witness first-hand the "horrific" tent prison erected by notorious Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and meet with families who fell victim to his discriminatory and illegal law enforcement practices.Īrriving with leaders of the immigrant rights group Puente, Sanders said Arpaio "showed up unexpectedly" and gave the group a personal tour of the prison.
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