The White House announced on Friday evening that President Donald Trump pardoned Joe Arpaio, former Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona. "Sheriff Joe Arpaio is now eighty-five years old, and after more than fifty years of admirable service to our Nation, he is worthy candidate for a Presidential pardon," a White House statement said. Arpaio was convicted of misdemeanor contempt of court this year for repeatedly violating court orders to stop detaining Latinos based on the belief they were in the U.S. illegally. Arpaio and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office were sued in 2007 for allegedly stopping Latino motorists based on their race. Arpaio defied court orders in 2011 and 2013 to stop detaining people based on race, and both times he defied the orders. Arpaio, known for his harsh immigration rhetoric and housing inmates in outdoor tents, lost reelection in 2016.