Aug. 31 (UPI) — Former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio is attempting to erase his conviction record, while a new NBC News poll shows that most Americans oppose President Donald Trump‘s pardon.
The NBC poll shows that the majority of Americans oppose Trump’s decision to pardon “America’s Toughest Sheriff” — after he was convicted of going against a judge’s order to cease detaining suspected undocumented immigrants.
Meanwhile, Arpaio is now arguing for his conviction to be dismissed altogether — asking a judge on Monday to vacate the case on the grounds that the presidential pardon stopped the case before he had a chance to appeal.
Bernadette Meyler, a Stanford law professor, told Bloomberg that, “Arpaio is asking for a complete expungement of the case, which is more than the pardon entitles him to”.
Thursday’s survey comes amidst the backlash Trump has already received for his decision to pardon Arpaio, with fierce criticism from the ACLU and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
The NBC poll also shows that nearly 64 percent of Americans support DACA, an Obama-era program that allows young children who came to the United States illegally to stay regardless of legal status.
Ten years ago, the Latino and American Civil Liberties Union sued Arpaio for discrimination against Hispanic drivers as part of a mission to crackdown on illegal immigrants. Arpaio and his office were found in 2013 to have violated the constitutional rights of Latin Americans.
Arpaio was one of Trump’s earliest supporters. By pardoning the former sheriff, Trump has ignited a wave of tension regarding immigration and race. Six in 10 Americans polled had an unfavorable view of Trump, and 59 percent disapprove of his actions as president so far — while only 36 percent have a favorable impression.
