Taxpayers in metro Phoenix still footing the bill for Joe Arpaio's immigration crackdowns [View all]

Twenty years ago, when Arizona became frustrated with its porous border with Mexico, the state passed a series of immigration laws as proponents regularly griped about how local taxpayers get stuck paying the education, health care and other costs for people in the U.S. illegally.

Then-Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio gladly took up the cause, launching 20 large-scale traffic patrols targeting immigrants from January 2008 through October 2011. That led to a 2013 racial profiling verdict and expensive court-ordered overhauls of the agency’s traffic patrol operations and, later, its internal affairs unit.

Eight years after Arpaio was voted out, taxpayers in Maricopa County are still paying legal and compliance bills from the crackdowns. The tab is expected to reach $352 million by midsummer 2026, including $34 million approved Monday by the county’s governing board.

https://apnews.com/article/arizona-racial-profiling-arpaio-costs-immigrants-341cf667f2b795c816fb6838ac8c3f3d

Frankly this is utter bullshit, taxpayers shouldn't be responsible for government failures and lawyers fees.