U.S. President Donald Trump has pardoned former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, White House officials said Friday night.
Arpaio was recently convicted in federal court for disobeying a judge’s order to stop his traffic patrols that targeted immigrants. A federal judge ruled in 2013 that Arpaio’s officers had racially profiled Latinos.
In a release, the White House said Arpaio dedicated his life to protecting the public from crime and illegal immigration.
“Sheriff Joe Arpaio is now 85 years old, and after more than 50 years of admirable service to our Nation, he is [a] worthy candidate for a Presidential pardon,” the release states.
It is Trump’s first presidential pardon.
Trump has been hinting at a pardon for Arpaio for weeks, most recently at a campaign-style rally in Arizona on Tuesday.
“So was Sheriff Joe was convicted for doing his job?” Trump asked. “I’ll make a prediction. I think he’s going to be just fine, OK.”
WATCH: Donald Trump on Sheriff Joe Arpaio: ‘I think he’ll be just fine’
Critics of Trump had previously said that a pardon would amount to an endorsement of racism. Phoenix mayor Greg Stanton said an announcement of a pardon for the former sheriff would show that “his true intent is to inflame emotions and further divide our nation.”
Arpaio, who lost a bid for re-election in Arizona’s Maricopa County in November after 24 years in office, was known for his crackdown on undocumented immigrants and investigating unfounded Trump-supported claims questioning former President Barack Obama’s citizenship.
Along with racial profiling, Arpaio was infamously known for how he ran the Maricopa County jail. He reinstated chain gangs, and forbade inmates from having coffee, salt and pepper. He also brought back the traditional black and white striped uniforms, or made inmates wear pink ones.
Arpaio campaigned for Trump during the 2016 presidential election.
The former sheriff thanked Trump for the pardon, calling his original conviction a political witch hunt.
*With a file from Reuters
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