«It’s a little hard for me to understand why he would do that.»
The Arizona towns of Guadalupe and GIlbert are only about 10 miles apart, a straight shot along Guadalupe Road connects the two communities within a few minutes by car.
But the towns are a world apart when it comes to most other things.
Gilbert, home to about 238,000 people, is decidedly conservative and dominated by Republicans such as U. S. Rep. Andy Biggs, an ardent supporter of President Trump who tweeted out his support for the president’s pardon of former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Friday.
Guadalupe, home to about 5,500 residents, is populated by people of Mexican and Yaqui Indian descent. It also is a town that had a rocky relationship with Arpaio and his deputies, who serve as the town’s police force, during the height of his immigration sweeps.
The reactions Friday to Arpaio’s pardon differed among people questioned in each community.
«It’s a little hard for me to understand why he would do that, » said Guadalupe resident Roberto James, a cook at restaurant Del Yaqui, to a reporter in Spanish. «It’s a bad use of his power.»
Others said Arpaio should have received some sort of punishment after being found guilty of violating a federal order to stop his immigration-enforcement tactics.
«Any crime should have its punishments, but I guess he got away with it, » said Lupe Martinez, a Guadalupe resident and Arizona native.
Larry Figueroa questioned why Trump did not pardon Arpaio while at his rally in downtown Phoenix on Tuesday. Trump did hint a pardon would be coming.
«Trump should have pardoned him when he was here, » Figueroa said. «I guess he didn’t because he was afraid of what was going to happen.»
Now with the pardon, some are saying it’s unfair because one of Trump’s strongest supporters during the campaign season was Arpaio.
«If it was one of us, we would’ve gone to jail, » said Larry, a Guadalupe resident who declined to give his last name. «Why is he so special?»
In downtown Gilbert on Friday evening, Charles Couch agreed with Trump’s decision, saying that he believes judges are «a little more liberal … than what’s fair.»
«He (Arpaio) was upholding the laws the way he saw best, » Couch said. «Granted, I might not have made all those choices as harshly as he (Arpaio) did, but he didn’t have the intent to be as illegal as some people think he was.»
Couch voted for both Trump and Arpaio in the 2016 election, in which Arpaio was defeated by Sheriff Paul Penzone. Couch said elected public officials should always follow the laws.
«Just enforce the laws that are on the books across the board, » Couch said. «Stop looking the other way. Stop making up your own rules.»
He mentioned Arpaio’s high-profile endorsement of then-candidate Trump in 2016, but said he wouldn’t go call the pardon a payback.
«That’s not how we want our country to run either, is people doing favors for each other, » Couch said. «But for him to see all the facts of the case and … make an opinion that someone judged a little harshly, then that’s his prerogative to pardon him, much like every other president has pardoned thousands of people throughout the years.»
Jennifer Kuzell agreed with the president’s decision, adding that she believes the former sheriff «did the best he could with what he had» and that he was trying to uphold the law.
«We all speed and, at some point in time, we’ve been let off by cops before, and I think he deserves a pardon, » Kuzell said.
Kuzell said for the most part, she agreed with the former sheriff’s actions but that she did think some policies, such as immigration law Senate Bill 1070, went too far.
Despite that, Kuzell said she doesn’t believe Arpaio holds negative views of immigrants.
«I don’t think he was being racist, » Kuzell said. «I don’t think he was looking down on them, but he’s trying to protect the entire country in that matter.»
Kuzell said she believes the court was trying to punish Arpaio for upholding the law.
«Illegals here are spending our health insurance, aren’t paying taxes, and here you have families that need health insurance, » Kuzell said, adding that she’s not anti-immigrant. «I love a lot of the illegals that are out here, they’re hardworking people. I think there should be more citizenship given.»
Kuzell said she believes racism in the country worsened under former President Barack Obama’s leadership, but that racism «does not exist like everyone sees it» today.
«It’s not like it was 50 years ago, 60 years ago, » Kuzell said. «It’s totally not like that, and I think people need to realize that. We really do love everyone, and I really do think Trump loves everyone too.»
Not everyone questioned in Gilbert agreed with the decision.
Caitlin and Kayman Miller, who were visiting from Irvine, California, said, «Sheriff Joe» has been a household name for years in their state.
Neither agreed with the presidential pardon.
«At this point, it’s not really shocking, » Caitlin Miller said. «It’s just proving over and over and over again that he (President Trump) defends racists and he doesn’t acknowledge all of this horrible stuff the sheriff did.»
