Guy W. Farmer: Sheriff Joe - 30 years later, still stirring things up

I worked with controversial (and very popular) Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio at the American Embassy in Mexico City more than 30 years ago, and I can tell you that he hasn't changed a bit over the years. He's still doing things his own way, much to the chagrin of illegal immigration advocates and the federal government.

In the early 1970s, when I was the press attache at our Mexico City Embassy and "Sheriff Joe" was the regional director of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), he went after drug traffickers with single-minded fervor, much as he pursues illegal immigrants today. And when our ambassador - the personal representative of the president of the United States - told Arpaio and other section chiefs that media relations should be handled through the press attache, Sheriff Joe paid no attention to the boss and freelanced his own press contacts. I was caught in the middle.

Nevertheless, Arpaio and I got along just fine during our two years together in Mexico because he was an aggressive law enforcement officer and I tend to be a law-and-order kind of Guy. Joe was full of colorful, and often funny, telling stories about bringing bad guys to justice. In one memorable adventure, at the outset of President Nixon's War on Drugs, we flew up to Ciudad Juarez on the U.S.-Mexico border, where then-Atty. Gen. Richard Kleindienst launched a flaming torch into a huge pile of marijuana. It was a big news story with great photo-ops and Sheriff Joe was featured prominently in media coverage of the fiery event. He loved it.

Fast forward to 2010 and "America's Sheriff" is stirring things up in the Greater Phoenix area by arresting thousands of illegal immigrants in defiance of Atty. Gen. Eric Holder and the federal government. In a recent development, the feds threatened to sue Arpaio for violating the alleged "rights" of the illegals. Go figure!

"Bring it (the lawsuit) on!" Arpaio replied, vowing to continue his crackdown on illegal immigration. He also refused to turn over documents to the feds in connection with their politically motivated investigation of his immigration enforcement tactics. Arpaio's attorney, Bob Driscoll, said the flamboyant sheriff won't provide the documents. "They (Justice) have had an 800 number up for a year, like they're plaintiffs in an asbestos case," Driscoll added.

As for Sheriff Joe, he vowed to keep doing his job by vigorously enforcing our immigration laws, adding that his notorious tent jails have "plenty of room" to hold illegal immigrants arrested by his deputies. Like everyone else in Joe's jails, the illegals will wear pink underwear and work on chain gangs. You go, Joe!

• Guy W. Farmer, of Carson City, is a retired diplomat.