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Sheriff Joe Arpaio has a reputation for being the toughest sheriff in America. You may remember him as the sheriff who set up tents in Arizona to house inmates before there ever was a jail overcrowding problem.
It turns out that Sheriff Arpaio also has quite a reputation for rounding up illegal immigrants as well. Apparently, Sheriff Joe was doing too good of a job for the Obama administration. Napolitano and company have decided to clip Arpaio’s wings by having him sign a 287-G agreement regarding the
handling of illegal immigrants. Arpaio states that the federal government is gearing up for its “amnesty” program which would offer citizenship to thousands of illegal immigrants who will undoubtedly support the Democratic party in future elections. Arpaio states that he will continue to uphold both the federal and state law which, as sheriff, he is obligated to do under the US Constitution.
What is alarming about this story is the positioning of the Department of Homeland Security against local law enforcement. Remember, DHS is the new kid on the block. It was established in 2003 by George W. Bush after drafting the Homeland Security Act of 2002. Twenty-two agencies were absorbed into the DHS including such agencies as US Customs; Coast Guard; Secret Service; Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) among others. The creation of DHS constituted the biggest government reorganization in American history, and constitutes the most diverse merger of federal functions and responsibilities, incorporating 22 government agencies into a single organization.
While there are numerous other activities that threaten to undermine our personal freedom and liberties, this is one more red flag which signals an alarm regarding the encroachment of the federal government into the private lives of its citizens. The local sheriff is one barrier between the reach of the federal government and local residents. Last year, a U.S. district court ruled that Bighorn County Sheriff Dave Mattis could refuse to permit federal activity in his county, ask them to leave or retain them in custody. The ruling stated, "the duly elected sheriff of a county is the highest law enforcement official within a county and has law enforcement powers EXCEEDING that of any other state OR federal official."
In fact, a couple of movements have recently gotten underway to secure the authority of the local sheriff against a possible onslaught of federal government encroachment. One such movement is that of former Provo, Utah sheriff, Richard Mack. Sheriff Mack has authored a book called "The County Sheriff: America's Last Hope". He travels and lectures across the nation calling for a return to the Constitution and a fight against government usurpation of authority. He also calls upon local sheriffs to stand up against federal abuses of power and encroachment.
Another movement which has recently gained national attention is that of Oath Keepers. This is a non-partisan group of active military, veterans, peace officers and firefighters who have sworn to uphold the Constitution and refuse to carry out orders which would violate the natural rights of citizens protected by the U.S. Constitution. Oath Keepers was founded by former Army paratrooper Stewart Rhodes who served on Ron Paul’s campaign staff in 2008.
As the federal government continues to contract with private paramilitary organizations, draft codes, create czars and conduct secret intelligence gathering and surveillance operations under the guise of “security”, a thread of hope remains in the form of the local sheriff and service men and women who have taken an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America even if it means refusing to obey an order which would violate the natural rights of their countrymen. Hats off to sheriffs, deputies and Oath Keepers who are true patriots fulfilling your oaths to defend the Constitution from all enemies, both foreign and domestic!
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