Locals react to Trump’s decision to pardon
President Donald Trump’s recent decision to pardon former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio has drawn different reactions from a number of people throughout the country.
On Friday, the president pardoned the former Maricopa County, Ariz. sheriff, who was convicted in July for disobeying a judge’s order in an immigration case.
Arpaio’s sentence date was October 5, where he faced up to six months in jail.
On Saturday, locals at the Imperial Valley Mall were interviewed and asked how they felt about the president’s decision.
“It’s one of the attributes of being a president, he can pardon anybody, but he’s giving the pardon to someone who is openly doing something wrong.
We had a sheriff who is openly against any person who supposedly looks illegal.
Yes, he’s the president, he can do it, but morally, it’s not right. You can say it’s personal, but I think it’s mostly a big plan to create fear for outsiders, like Muslims and Mexicans.”
“I don’t think the actual act of it is any different than the others ones. We’re just in such a highly-energized situation right now that everything that happens is under much more scrutiny.
I don’t think in the end it’s going to make any more difference one way or the other. I think right now people have pretty much made up their mind about him and I think I don’t think this specific decision is going to change the direction of where people are going.
Based off everything he [Trump] has done so far, I don’t think this one decision is going to affect his image.
People who don’t like him are going to use it as proof and those that do are going to support it. It’s not a policy issue, it’s not going to affect anyone else so I think it will be forgotten pretty quickly. “
“It was just to show power and go against the people who don’t like him. It’s a bad decision, it was wrong, but a lot of people do the wrong things.
Every president has done it, so he’s no different than any other president.
Obama did too, he pardoned criminals and pardoned more people than any other president, so it’s no different.”
“Everyone has the right to express themselves, regardless if you agree with them or not. Here in this part of the country, there are obviously a lot of us that immigrated so we feel strongly about it. When you do things like that, I think it’s going to enflame those in the community that were wrong and going to lead to more hard feelings and violence, and that’s unfortunate.
You can have your own beliefs, but sometimes when it infringes upon other people’s beliefs or right to live, then it just isn’t right. He made that decision and let’s just hope that people will respect it and nothing bad comes out of it. I do feel bad for the people in Arizona who the sheriff did wrong. I don’t like it, I don’t agree with it, but hopefully it won’t lead to any violence.”